My Little Mages: The Nightmare's Return
by SonicPrime972
Summary: I found this on FimFiction the other day, so I decided to submit it here to do the author a favor. This story is based off the very first two episodes of MLP: FiM with some pretty major edits. Now open your heart to magic and embrace the sun's warm glow. In other words, enjoy! Rated T for language and violence. Please leave reviews.
1. Chapter 1

**Someone already wrote this on FimFiction, so I decided I'd do them and all of us a favor by submitting it here. So welcome to the story of "My Little Mages: The Nightmare's Return." Loosely based off the first two episodes with some pretty major edits.**

 **Ch. 1: The Studious Arcane Mage**

The six-pointed gemstone on the end of the staff gave off a bright light, illuminating the dark halls of the archives. The woman holding the staff was staring intently at the bookshelves. She was a young woman, around twenty, and just by looking at her pale skin it was obvious that she didn't get outside very much. She had long, dark hair with two stripes of color, one purple, and one pink, and her bangs were parted on her forehead by the purple, horn-like focus crystal on a gold headband. Her purple eyes scanned over the bookshelves, looking for one book in particular. So far, no luck.

"Spike?" She called out, her voice echoing through the room. "Spike, have you had any luck?"

 _'Yeah! Huge luck!'_ Her familiar's childlike voice said in Twilight's mind. _'I found five bits!'_

"Spike, have you had any luck finding the book?" Twilight restated.

 _'Oh, right. The book. No, nothing yet,'_ Spike answered.

"You can't remember what we're looking for, can you."

 _'…No.'_

Twilight sighed. "We're looking for a book…"

 _'Shocker.'_

"…Very old…"

 _'I never would have guessed.'_

"Spike, drop the sarcasm."

 _'Okay. Sorry.'_

"Anyway, we're looking for Delphi's Log of Prophecies. It was written by Delphi, the greatest oracle since the days of…" Twilight stopped her impromptu lecture when one of the books on the shelves caught her eye. "Never mind, I think I found it."

 _'Really? So can we go back to the tower?'_ Spike asked, suddenly appearing at Twilight's side. Spike was her familiar, the very same baby dragon she had hatched in order to be accepted into the School of Magi. Besides the purple scales and green spines, he was almost indistinguishable from a common iguana, a fact that annoyed him greatly. Since he wasn't old enough to be able to speak yet, he had to telepathically relay to Twilight exactly what he wanted her to tell people who confused him for an iguana.

"No, Spike. If I took this book out of the Royal Archives, I'd be lucky not to get executed," Twilight said, carefully pulling the book off the shelf. Twilight blew gently on the front cover, and dust plumed off of it. After a little more dusting, the design on the front cover was visible. A coiled emerald snake.

"This is definitely it. That's Delphi's emblem," Twilight said. She lowly opened the book, almost wincing at the sound of the cracking leather binding. "Oh, the Princess would kill me if this got damaged…"

 _'Twilight, the Princess probably doesn't even remember this place exists,'_ Spike said.

"Of course she does, Spike. The Princess knows everything," Twilight said. Twilight turned the first page, letting out a groan. "Oh, great. The ink is all messed up. Can barely read it."

 _'What a pity. Can we go now?'_

"No, Spike. I can still make out some of it," Twilight said, turning the page again. She scanned over the pages, looking at the words that had not been worn away by the decades. If she was lucky, then what she was looking for would still be in good condition.

After several fruitless minutes of reading, Twilight came upon a page where the words were legible. She grinned. "I found it," She announced. "The Nightmare's Return."

'What's so important about this prophecy again?' Spike asked.

"Just listen to it. ' _In the prison's thousandth year, / 'round the moon four stars appear. / Before sunrise on the longest day, / these four stars shall open the way. / A Nightmare shall fall from the Moon, / and eternal night shall be her boon.'_ Damn, the rest's too faded to read. But look, Spike. A Nightmare shall fall from the Moon. This is it! The proof we need!" Twilight said excitedly.

 _'Hey, what about that last line? I can kinda make it out,'_ Spike said, pointing with one purple claw. Twilight looked at the line he was referring to.

 _"'The sun shall rise, the Nightmare shall fall, / when the last light in the dark answers Harmony's call.'_ What does that even mean?" Twilight wondered. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. What's important is that we get this information to the Princess immediately. Spike, take a letter."

 _'Why do we have to do this now?'_ Spike whined.

"Honestly, Spike, do you listen to anything I say?" Twilight asked, rubbing her eyes. "Ugh. Well, you know that the Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow, right?"

 _'Yeah.'_

"And do you know what the Summer Sun Celebration's purpose is?"

 _'To celebrate the summer solstice?'_

"Good. And do you know what recently showed up that has been confusing astrologists?"

 _'You know I don't pay attention to any of that.'_

"Four stars, Spike. After the winter solstice last year, four stars suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and they've been getting closer and closer to the moon ever since. Now does it make sense?"

Spike stared at her. He shook his head.

"You're impossible, you know?" Twilight asked, resisting the desire to bash her familiar's head in with an encyclopedia.

 _'I know. You said you wanted me to write a letter?'_ Spike reminded her.

"Oh, right," Twilight said. Spike hiccupped out a burst of green flames, and a scroll of parchment and a quill fell into his claws. "Ahem. Dear Princess Celestia…"

 _'Ahem. Dear Princess Celestia…'_

"Spike, cross off that 'ahem'."

 _'Spike, cross off that – oh. Sorry.'_

"Anyway. My recent studies into the old folklore of Mystica have led me to conclude that we are on the precipice of disaster," Twilight dictated to her familiar.

 _'Pre… preci…'_ Spike lowered his quill and looked to Twilight for assistance. Twilight groaned.

"Threshold."

 _'Thre… uh…'_ He crossed off what he had just written.

"Uh… brink?" Twilight suggested. Spike stared at her as if she was talking in another language. Twilight sighed. "That something really bad is going to – You know what? I think this is important enough to tell the Princess face-to-face."

Twilight walked purposefully up to the massive double doors that led to the Princess's study and cleared her throat.

"Twilight Sparkle, apprentice of the Arch Mage, Princess Celestia, humbly requests an audience with…" She announced.

"It's open, Twilight," The Princess's voice called out from inside. Twilight opened the smaller door built into one of the larger doors and stepped inside.

Princess Celestia, the tall, beautiful woman with multicolored hair floating in the air, looked up from her paperwork as Twilight entered. "We've been over this before, Twilight," She said, setting her quill aside. "My doors are always open for you."

"Yes, Pri – I mean, Celestia," Twilight said, catching herself from referring to her teacher too formally.

"It's alright. Come, have a seat," Celestia said, motioning to the space in front of her desk. At her unspoken command, a simple chair rose up from the floor. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," Twilight said, sitting down. "I have something urgent I need to talk to you about regarding tomorrow." Spike leapt from her shoulder to Celestia's desk, making a beeline for the small jar of crystals that Celestia kept solely for her student's familiar.

"You have the day off tomorrow, Twilight. And I'd love it if you could attend the festivities in town with some of your classmates," Celestia said, pouring herself a steaming cup of tea.

"I don't think that the festivities will be happening tomorrow, if what I've discovered is true," Twilight said morbidly. Celestia lifted a questioning eyebrow, signaling for Twilight to elaborate as she puffed on her tea to cool it down. "In my recent studies of Mystica's old folklore, I took an interest in one story in particular: the story of Nightmare Moon."

The handle on Celestia's teacup shattered. Twilight very quickly caught the teacup in her magical grip before it could spill all over the Princess's lovely dress.

"Oh, t-terribly sorry about that," Celestia said, taking the cup from Twilight's telekinesis and setting it on the table. "They… just don't make them like they used to, do they?"

"No, I guess they don't," Twilight said. "Celestia, you're shaking."

Celestia grabbed her wrist to make her hand stop shivering. "Well, I've been… working almost all through the night. Of course my hands would be tired," She said. "Which reminds me. Twilight, I have a very important assignment for you."

"That's not important! Princess, I have reason to believe, and evidence to prove that Nightmare Moon is going to return tonight, and..." Twilight stopped talking when Celestia held up a hand to silence her.

"Nightmare Moon," She said, "Is a fairy tale. Nothing more."

"But… but every prophet for the past five hundred years predicted her return at least once! Even Delphi predicted it, and her prophecies have a one hundred percent accuracy rating!" Twilight said.

"Nobody is perfect, Twilight. Nightmare Moon does not exist. She's only an old legend to explain the face in the moon," Celestia said. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"But…"

" _Twilight Sparkle_. I will hear no more of this subject," Celestia said forcefully, stopping her apprentice's argument in its tracks. The temperature in the room literally rose ten degrees from the force of Celestia's temper. Twilight gulped.

"I… Yes, Princess Celestia," She said, bowing her head. The room cooled down in a heartbeat, and Celestia's smile returned.

"Thank you, Twilight. Now, your assignment," Celestia said, taking a sip of her tea, "Is to go to the town of Magiville and oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow."

"Magiville? _Magiville?!_ " Twilight repeated in disbelief. "That backwater town by the Everfree Forest?!"

"Yes, _that_ Magiville. I'll be presiding over the festival there tomorrow, and I'd like it to be perfect. Of course, if you think that it's too far beneath you, I'm sure I can think of some other assignment for you…" Celestia suggested, her grin telling Twilight that she did not want any of these other assignments.

"I…" Twilight sighed, defeated. "I understand."

"Good," Celestia said. She opened one of her desk drawers and retrieved a rolled-up scroll. "Here is your assignment. Go to Magiville and speak to all the people on this list. They're in charge of the food, music, weather, and decorations for the celebration."

Twilight took the scroll and looked over it. "Hold on, a Druid is in charge of the music?" She asked.

"I've heard good things about her, and the rest of the people on the list," Celestia said, tenting her fingers in front of her mouth. "I'm sure you'll get along well."

"This is another attempt to have me make friends, isn't it?" Twilight asked. Celestia nodded.

"You're so clever," She said. "Now, you'd best be off. I've already made arrangements for your transport. The Charon is waiting for you at the docks."

"That _dinghy_?" Twilight asked, her eyes wide.

"Would you like a larger boat? I'm sure the _Minnow_ would be available," Celestia said pointedly.

"On second thought, I think the _Charon_ will do fine," Twilight decided hastily. There was no way she would set foot on the _Minnow_. That boat was cursed, she was sure of it.

"I thought you'd see it my way," Celestia said, beaming. "As for your accommodations, you'll be staying at the Books and Branches Library."

Twilight's expression instantly brightened. "A library?" She repeated.

"No, it's a restaurant," Celestia said sarcastically. "Now, I won't keep you here any longer. Here's the acquisition slip for the _Charon_ …" She handed Twilight a slip of paper. "…And the key to the library." Twilight took the small bronze key and tucked it in her pocket. "Off you go, then. Have Spike send me your report on the preparations as soon as you're done."

"Yes, Princess Celestia," Twilight said, standing up. She scooped up Spike and deposited him on her shoulder, gave a short respectful bow to Celestia, and made for the door.

As soon as the door closed, Celestia's calm façade vanished. She opened one of her desk drawers, nearly tearing it out completely, and pulled out a bottle of her favorite scotch. She opened it with her teeth, and took a deep swig from it. She slammed the almost empty bottle on her desk, nearly causing the bottle to crack. Celestia covered her eyes with one hand, forcing herself not to cry.

 _"I… I…What is going on? Tia! Tia, help! I can't stop!"_

A thousand years had passed, and the events of that night still haunted her dreams.

 _"Luna, whatever is happening, thou must make it stop!"_

It wasn't Luna's fault. Not even a little bit.

 _"I… can't! It's… too powerful! Tia, it feels like… Discord!"_

It was Discord's greatest prank. Laying a seed of chaos magic in Luna's soul before he was sealed away. That seed took three hundred years to reach maturity. And when it matured, it overwhelmed Luna's soul in minutes.

 _"That's impossible! We sealed him away! Fight, Luna!"_

 _"I'm trying! I can't stop it! The moon is…"_

Even after a thousand years, just thinking about the voice that spoke through Luna was enough to send a flash of cold through Celestia's blood.

 _ **"Exactly where it should be."**_

It was her greatest failure. She'd been too weak to save her own little sister, and had to resort to sealing her in the moon for a thousand years.

"You've been waiting for so long, Celestia," She said to herself. "It won't be long now. Just a few hours, and she'll be safe."

 **She had been waiting for so long. It wouldn't be long now. Just a few hours, and Mystica would be in her grasp.**

 **For the first two hundred years of her imprisonment, she had screamed, fighting against the magic that bound her essence to the moon. When the screaming got boring, she went silent for a hundred years, which she spent thinking about the things she would do to her 'sister' the moment she was free.**

 **She knew that her imprisonment would not last. The Elements of Harmony were not meant to be used by only one person. By her estimation, she would be freed after one thousand years. Plenty of time to prepare.**

 **After the period of planning what she would do to Celestia, she began to plan how she would defeat Celestia and bring Mystica under her control. For her plan to work, however, she would need an army.**

 **And so she spent the next five hundred and eighty-two years pushing against her bindings, weakening them little by little. Finally, in the eight hundred and ninety-fourth year of her imprisonment, she had finished making a tiny hole in the bindings.**

 **She found people disgruntled with Celestia's rule and visited them in their dreams, promising to teach them powerful, ancient magic in exchange for their loyalty and the loyalty of their descendants. They became her agents, carrying out her will and gathering their strength for her return. Their numbers were few - secrecy was important - but they were strong and loyal.**

 **They would gain many allies in preparation for the coming war. The last of the crypt stealers. The wolves. The criminals. The mercenaries. All willing to fight under her command.**

 **She would be ready.**

 **Mystica would fall before the might of Queen Luna.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2: The Proud Paladin**

In Mystica, there are two types of boats: boats that navigate the seas, made of regular wood, and boats that navigate the air, made of magical floatwood. The Charon was part of the latter group. It was the smallest member of the Princess's private fleet, being a simple dinghy, but it was of expert craftsmanship, and could easily outmaneuver any larger galleon or frigate. It was fast, dependable, and in the hands of a skilled pilot, would never fail.

Twilight Sparkle, unfortunately, was not a skilled pilot.

"I mean, really, she didn't even give me a chance to explain myself!"

 _'Twilight, look out for that mountain!'_

"I spent almost three months researching those old stories, and she didn't even let me talk about it for three minutes!"

 _'Twilight, left! LEFT!'_

The _Charon_ swerved, narrowly avoiding a collision with a mountain.

"I looked through archives in Camelot, Stalingrad, and Nottingham, found first-hand reports of Nightmare Moon, and she dismisses it as a story!"

 _'Can we talk about this when we're on solid ground, please?'_ Spike begged, his claws dug into the mast.

"Oh, stop whining, Spike! We're almost there, see?" Twilight said, pointing off into the distance. A bell tower could be seen sticking out of the treeline. "Sweet Apple Cathedral. Our first stop."

 _'Twilight, GEESE!'_

"What g-" A second later, Twilight became the third person in Mystica's history to be knocked upside the head with a live goose. She blacked out for an instant, and accidentally pushed down on the tiller, forcing the _Charon_ into a nosedive. Thankfully, the goose was able to quickly recover from flying into Twilight's noggin and rejoined his formation, honking irritably.

 _'Twilight, wake up! WAKE UP! I don't want to die because you got hit by a stinking GOOSE!'_

"Urrgh… The four hundred and thirteenth digit of pi is five…" Twilight said groggily, returning to consciousness.

 _'Twilight, pull up! Pull up!'_ Spike screamed. Twilight lifted her head and looked at the trees that they were on a collision course with.

"Oh, apple trees," She said. "Scientific name malus domestica. One of the major crops of southern Mystica…" Twilight blinked, clearing her mind. "Oh. And we're heading straight for them."

 _'I'm too cute to die!'_ Spike wailed. Twilight pulled up sharply on the tiller, causing the _Charon_ to pitch upwards. There was the sound of cracking branches as the Charon brushed over the trees. After a few moments of ascending, they were back at a comfortable altitude. Twilight leveled the _Charon_ , and brought it to a halt in midair, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that was fun," She said drily.

 _'When we go back to Camelot tomorrow, we are hitching a ride on the_ Alicorn,' Spike said. _'There is nothing that can make me set foot in a boat that you're piloting EVER AGAIN.'_

"Spike, it's not my fault that those geese flew into us," Twilight said, setting the Charon back into motion at a slight descent. In a minute, the dinghy was hovering above the ground in front of Sweet Apple Cathedral.

 _'Oh, thank the Goddess. To feel the ground beneath my claws again…'_ Spike said dramatically, yanking his claws out of the mast with a loud pop. Twilight rolled her eyes as she held out an arm for Spike to climb up.

Sweet Apple Cathedral was surprisingly small for a cathedral, and lacked the elegant decorations that Twilight would expect from one. There was only one large stained glass window above the doors, and for some reason, it prominently featured an apple instead of a depiction of the Goddess. Looking around, Twilight noticed that the branches in the orchard were heavy with apples.

"Not hard to guess what kind of food's going to be at the festival," Twilight said, vaulting out of the boat.

 _'Blegh. Apples,'_ Spike said, making a face of disgust. _'I'd rather have meat. Or crystals.'_

"I know you would, Spike," Twilight said. She clicked her fingers, and a heavy leather-bound book appeared in her hands, flipping open to an empty page on its own accord. Twilight lay a hand on the hull of the Charon, and focused her magic, causing the purple, horn-like focus crystal on her forehead to glow. The Charon began to glow a bright white, then disappeared, leaving no trace it had ever been there. Twilight's book began to glow as well, and when the glow faded, the formerly empty page it had been opened to now had an illustration of the Charon. Twilight closed the book with a heavy clap, and it disappeared.

"Alright, the Charon's stowed away in my Tome, so we can get on with our business," She said, pulling Celestia's scroll from her pocket. "We're supposed to be looking for the Cathedral's Paladin, Applejack."

"You found 'er," An accented voice said from behind Twilight, causing her to jump and nearly drop the scroll. The owner of the voice was a young woman around Twilight's age, with tanned, freckled skin, blonde hair in a low ponytail, and green eyes. She was dressed in a red, leather overcoat, with bronze armor at her hips, on her shoulders, and upper torso. A Paladin if Twilight had ever seen one.

"Easy now, didn't mean t' scare you," The Paladin said, holding up her hands.

"I wasn't scared!" Twilight lied. "I just… felt like jumping."

"Just like you felt like droppin' in unannounced in your fancy sky boat?" The Paladin asked.

"My apologies, I was under the impression that I was being expected," Twilight said. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, from the Royal Court of Camelot. I'm here to check up on preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration."

The Paladin stared at her, her green eyes narrowed. Twilight looked her straight in the eye, doing her best to stand her ground against the sheer force of the Paladin's stare. After a few seconds, the Paladin's eyes softened, and she smiled.

"Well, you seem like a nice enough gal," She decided. She grabbed Twilight's hand, shaking it vigorously with a grip that Twilight was certain could crush stone. "Name's Applejack, Paladin here at Sweet Apple Cathedral. Pleased t' make yer acquaintance, Twilight."

"L-l-l-likewise," Twilight said, her entire body shaking from Applejack's handshake. When Applejack finally let go, Twilight started rubbing her hand to get some feeling back. "I'm just here to check up on the food preparations. I take it they're going well?"

"You can bet your fancy boots they are. The whole Apple family's in town for the celebration, so we finished up not too long ago," Applejack said proudly. "Care t' have some samples? You caught us in the middle o' lunch, but you're welcome t' join us if you'd like."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't think that…"

"Don't worry none, you won't be a bother," Applejack said, ignoring Twilight's complaints. She grabbed the other girl and dragged her off, leading her behind the cathedral. "The Apple family's always glad t' have guests."

Twilight's jaw almost dropped at the sheer number of people sitting around the massive, food-laden picnic table. There were dozens of them, all wearing the armor of Paladins or the robes of Clerics, and they were all talking, eating, laughing, and generally enjoying the company of their family.

"Up an' at 'em, everyone! We got guests!" Applejack announced, slapping Twilight on the back and almost knocking her off her feet. The Apple family fell silent and turned as one to look at the newcomer. "This here's Twilight Sparkle, here from Camelot t' check up on the festival preparations. Say hey, everybody!"

There was a cacophony of mixed greetings from dozens of mouths, all of them friendly.

"Um, he-hello," Twilight said, feeling a bit nervous from being the sole focus of attention. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Aw, you can't say you've met 'em until we've gotten some introductions," Applejack said, pushing Twilight towards the table. She took a very deep breath, and walked Twilight past her numerous relatives, naming each of them. "This here's Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Apple Cobbler, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple…"

As they were introduced, each member of the Apple family reached over and gave Twilight a very firm handshake.

"…Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Apple Turnover, Baked Apples, Apple Cider, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp, Apple Pie, Braeburn…"

Twilight was fairly sure that her shoulder was going to be dislocated by the time introductions were over.

"…Honeycrisp, Cortland, Fuji, Ginger Gold, Jonathan, Pacific Rose, Paula Red, Wealthy…" Applejack finally took another breath. There were only three people left now.

"…Big Macintosh…"

The largest man Twilight had ever seen, wearing what looked like Cleric robes with the addition of several pieces of armor. Thankfully, for all his muscle, he seemed to have some control over his grip.

"…Apple Bloom…"

A cute little girl with red hair, probably around ten, wearing plainclothes instead of armor or robes. She probably didn't have a Specialization yet, but considering the majority of the Apple family, Twilight could guess that it would be a Holy-type magic.

"…Aaand the Bishop o' Sweet Apple Cathedral, Granny Smith!" Applejack announced, standing next to the large armchair at the head of the table. The wrinkled old woman wearing the clothing of a Bishop snored.

"Wait, Bishop Smith? _The_ Bishop Smith?" Twilight asked, her eyes wide.

"Unless there's another Bishop Annie Smith we ain't heard about," Applejack said. She gently shook her grandmother by the shoulder. "Up an' at 'em, Granny. We got guests."

"Huhwha? Guests? Where?" The old woman asked sleepily, looking around in confusion. Her Bishop's hat had fallen over her eyes. Little Apple Bloom reached over and fixed it. Granny Smith, her vision restored, finally noticed Twilight.

"Welcome t' Sweet Apple Cathedral, young lady," She said, holding out a wrinkled, shaking hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bishop Smith. I never thought I'd be meeting a national hero today," Twilight said, carefully shaking the old woman's hand. The Bishop looked around in confusion.

"National hero? Where?" She asked.

"Um, you, ma'am," Twilight said. Granny Smith looked at her in surprise.

"I'm a hero?" She asked, as if it was news. Twilight nodded.

"You were one of the mages who helped end the Necromancy War almost fifty years…"

Granny Smith's face twisted into a scowl, and her eyes narrowed. "Necromancer!" She screamed, grabbing a shepherd's crook that was leaning against her chair.

"An' 'ere we go," Somebody muttered. Granny Smith grabbed Twilight's neck with her shepherd's crook and yanked her down to stare into her eyes. Twilight tried to hide her fear as the old woman stared. When she was satisfied with what she saw, or maybe with what she didn't see, she relaxed, and released Twilight.

"Good news," She said, leaning back in her chair. "Ya ain't a necromancer, so ol' Annie Smith don't have t' gut ya with a spoon like in th' old days."

"Um, thank goodness," Twilight said, taking a step away from the old woman.

"But y'all gots t' be careful," Granny Smith, the greatest practitioner of Holy magic of her generation, warned. "Them Necromancers are wily folks. Sure, some people think that th' art o' Necromancy died off after th' war, but…" She yawned, showing a mouth full of false teeth. "…but Necromancy is… th' practice o' raisin' th' dead. Who's t' say that… they're all…" Her voice trailed off, and she began snoring again. Twilight stared at her, astounded by the old woman's antics.

"An' that's all of us," Applejack said, patting Twilight on the shoulder as if nothing had happened. "Now, Mac, scoot over a lil' bit an' let Twi have a seat." The enormous man did so, almost pushing Apple Bloom off the end of the bench in the process.

"Um, thank you very much for the offer, but I really can't…" Twilight started to say, not wanting to waste a second until her job was complete. But then, she noticed something.

Apple Bloom, looking at her with an enormous pair of puppy-dog eyes, clearly saying what was on the little girl's mind.

 _Aren't you gonna stay for lunch?_

 _'Don't look into her eyes, Twilight! Don't look into her…'_ Spike's warnings cut off when Spike made the mistake of also looking into Apple Bloom's eyes. Twilight, with all her willpower, tried to fight against their influence.

"I'm… sorry, but I really have a lot to do…"

Twilight's stomach decided that it was a good time to remind Twilight that she had skipped breakfast with a deep growl. Twilight felt herself blush. Then she realized that the food on the table looked really good.

"On second thought," She decided, taking a seat next to Big Macintosh, "Lunch sounds good."

Twilight sighed contentedly, patting her full stomach. "Okay, I admit," She said. "That was probably the greatest meal I have had in my entire life."

"Glad you liked it, sugarcube," Applejack said, wiping at her mouth with a napkin. "Honestly, when I first saw you, with your fancy sky boat an' iguana…" She motioned to the snoring dragon on the table, cuddling a sausage as if it were a teddy bear. "I had you pegged for one o' them all-work-an'-no-play types. But it looks like I was a bit off."

Twilight snorted. "Two things. First, if Spike were awake, he'd be angrily telling me to inform you that he's a dragon, and second, you were actually pretty accurate in your 'pegging'."

"You seemed t' be havin' fun just a lil' while ago," Applejack said, resting her elbows on the table.

"I was just… following the atmosphere," Twilight said. "You have a very nice family."

"Why, thank you," Applejack said. "What about yourself? Got any family back in Camelot?"

"Yeah, actually," Twilight said. "My mom's a magical researcher, and my dad's an astronomer. My brother's second-in-command of the Royal Guard."

Applejack whistled. "The Royal Guard, huh? Protectin' the Princess 'erself? Heck, I bet you get t' see her all the time," She said, bringing her glass of apple juice to her lips.

"I actually spoke with her this morning," Twilight said casually. Applejack started choking on her juice, accidentally spraying Spike and waking him up.

"You've _met_ the Princess?" Applejack asked when she regained her breath, staring wide-eyed at Twilight.

"More times than I can count, actually," Twilight said with just a bit of pride. "I've been her protégé for the past ten years, learning all I can about Arcane Magic."

Applejack laughed boisterously, slapping Twilight on the back. "Well, shoot! If I'd known you were the Princess's prized apprentice, I woulda gotten out th' good silverware!"

"Oh, that's alright," Twilight said. "I've never really been fond of fancy parties and the like."

"Me neither!" Applejack laughed. "Looks like we got a lot in common, friend." Twilight's eyes widened at Applejack's last word. She quickly stood up, grabbed Spike, and placed him on her shoulder.

"Well, it has been a lovely meal, and I thank you for your hospitality. I believe I can cross 'food' off the list of things that I need to check off," She said without emotion, not even noticing that she had practically repeated herself. "Now, I must be off. I need to speak with a Miss Rainbow Dash about the weather." She glanced up at the sky, which had become cloudier and cloudier over the course of the hour-long lunch. "And I can assume she's not the best at her job."

"Nah, Rainbow's pretty good at what she does. It's the gettin' her t' do it that's the hard part. She's probably at 'er usual stompin' grounds, goofin' off. Just head south a bit."

"Thank you very much for your time, Miss Applejack," Twilight said with a small bow. "Good day."

"Yeah," Applejack said as Twilight hastily walked away from the table. "G'day."

Twilight summoned her Tome, opening it to the page with the picture of the Charon, releasing it from the paper with a brief burst of magic. In seconds, she had climbed into the boat, grabbed the tiller, and taken off, heading north.

"Oh, for the love of… SOUTH! I SAID SOUTH! YOU'RE GOIN' THE WRONG WAY!" Applejack yelled up at Twilight.

"I KNEW THAT!" Twilight yelled back, changing her course.

Everywhere she stepped, the grass died. The dangerous animals of the Everfree wisely scattered when they heard the sound of her staff tapping against the ground. They all knew to fear the agent of Death.

The pale, dark-haired woman dressed in tattered black robes tapped the ground with her bony staff again, producing a clattering sound from the finger bones hanging from it. Unsatisfied, she kept walking.

"Where are you, my pet…" She called out, tapping the ground again. "You can't hide from me, you know… I can smell you…" She tapped the ground once more, and smiled when the finger bones clattered together louder than usual. She brushed her long, smooth fingers through the dying grass at her feet, watching it turn brown and dry. She scooped up a handful of dirt, and let it sift through her fingers.

"You were a strong one, weren't you?" She mumbled, straightening up. "No sense in letting a good corpse go to waste."

She pulled an obsidian knife from her belt, and opened a shallow cut on the palm of her hand. After a few seconds, blood began to drip from the wound, falling to the ground with a hiss.

"Awaken from your sleep. Return to this realm from the cold hands of Death. Rise once more!" The woman commanded, slamming her staff into the ground. The corpse heard her, and it obeyed. A skeletal hand, still covered in gray, rotting flesh, burst from the ground, clawing at the air.

"That's right, that's right… You can do it, little one…" The woman cooed, clicking her tongue as if she was calling for an animal. Slowly, the rest of the corpse's body pulled itself out of the ground, dead-eyed and slack-jawed. It had been a man once, a warrior; it was clad in rusted armor, which showed exactly how it had died. Something with claws had torn through the metal as if it was tissue paper. The corpse moaned as it stood on legs that were not supposed to be able to support its weight anymore, towering over the pale woman.

"Well, aren't you a handsome fellow," The woman said, stepping towards the standing corpse. "You must have been quite a looker when you were alive." She stroked the corpse's jaw, and quickly retracted her hand when it tried to bite her.

"No," She said. "Bad minion. Bad. You do not bite your master."

"I… hhhaabbe… nnnoo… mmmasder…" The corpse said with a rotted tongue. It pulled its once-shining sword out of the scabbard.

"Oh, goodness. You actually think you have free will, don't you?" The woman asked, rubbing her green eyes. "Stupid corpse. You're not human anymore; you're an Undead. You do not…"

The corpse groaned, and ran the woman through with its sword.

"…Have any free will. I brought you back from the dead, and you serve me. Understand?" The woman said, not stopping even when she was pierced by a rusty sword. She glanced down at her stomach. "Aren't you a naughty one. It looks like I'm going to have to teach you a little lesson."

She set a palm on the Undead's breastplate. "I am the one in charge here," She said, and her hand burst into green flames. The Undead screeched as the flames spread over its body, trying desperately to pat out the flames, but they continued to burn. The woman pulled the sword out of her body and tossed it away. "Now, what do you say to me?"

"Ffferggibe!" The Undead cried, crumpling to the ground as its entire body was swallowed by the flames. "Fffergibe!"

"I think you forgot to add something…" The woman sing-songed.

"Ffergibe, mmasder!" The Undead wailed. The woman smiled cruelly, and clicked her fingers. The flames disappeared, but the Undead stayed on the ground, curled up in the fetal position and whimpering pitifully. The woman put a bare foot to the Undead's neck.

"Say the name of your master," She ordered. The Undead opened its mouth, and spoke one word.

"Chrysalis…"

Chrysalis, the Necromancer of the Everfree, smiled and removed her foot from the Undead's throat. "Good boy," She said. "Stand." The Undead obeyed her without hesitation, standing up with its head bowed. Its free will was truly gone, now, burned away, leaving behind a walking husk.

"That's right. Now, come," Chrysalis beckoned. "The Queen requires more soldiers for tonight, and this forest…" She sniffed the air. "…Is _ripe_ with the dead."


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. 3: The Bold Elementalist**

"…Can't believe I was so stupid. Don't have time for friends. My studies are too important," Twilight grumbled to herself as the Charon left Sweet Apple Cathedral in the distance. Spike looked at her worriedly.

 _'Twilight, I've known you for my entire life, but I still don't understand what you've got against having friends,'_ He said. The Charon stopped abruptly, nearly launching Spike off Twilight's shoulder.

"Spike, what do friends do?" Twilight asked her familiar.

 _'Um… they have fun? They… talk to each other, they spend time together, they…'_

"…Waste time. Get in the way of studies," Twilight said, finishing the sentence that Spike wasn't about to say. Spike groaned.

 _'Twilight, you are way too dedicated to studying,'_ He said. _'Taking some time off every now and then isn't a bad thing.'_

Twilight stomped her foot. "Spike, we just wasted an hour having lunch with a bunch of strangers. If I hadn't done that, we could have kept on moving, and maybe even gotten this whole job finished a bit quicker. If we finish the job faster, we can spend more time studying. Knowledge is power, Spike. And when the Princess ends up needing help with Nightmare Moon, I am going to need power," Twilight said with finality.

 _'Twilight, the Princess already told you that Nightmare Moon is just a story,'_ Spike said.

"She's not a story! She's real, and she's…" Twilight groaned. "Let's just get this over with. We're wasting time." She gripped the tiller so hard her knuckles turned white, and the _Charon_ gained speed.

"LOOK OUT!"

The warning came far too late to be any help. A rainbow colored blur shot past the Charon's bow, barely missing it.

"Oh _no_ ," Twilight said, realizing what was about to happen.

The wind that was following in the wake of the rainbow blur slammed into the Charon like a brick wall, sending it careening out of control. Twilight quickly let go of the tiller, and grabbed the mast, holding on for her life.

 _"That wasn't my fault!"_ Twilight felt obligated to remind Spike, who was too busy screaming in her mind like a small girl to pay attention. After a few chaotic moments, the Charon settled down, and Twilight released her death grip on the mast.

"What the _hell_ was that?" She asked once her teeth unclenched.

"Hey, you alright?"

Twilight turned to face the owner of the new voice. It was a woman, around Twilight's age, but a bit shorter and with a much more athletic build, hovering next to the Charon. Her multicolored hair was in a high ponytail, held in place by a clip decorated with a cloud and a three-colored lightning bolt. She was wearing light leather armor, feathered pauldrons, dark teal gauntlets with malachite stones on the back of the hand, and long, similarly colored boots. A pair of tiny, ethereal wings were floating next to her ankles, flapping rhythmically.

"Sorry 'bout that. I guess I was going a bit too fast. Anything broken?" She asked.

"Are you _insane?!_ I almost _died!"_ Twilight snapped, standing up on shaking legs.

"Looks like you survived to me," The woman said nonchalantly.

"Mostly because of dumb luck! Who are you? I should report you to the guard for flying so dangerously!"

"Hey, easy, buddy," The woman said, raising her hands defensively. "I said it was an accident. No need to tell the guards about this."

"You almost _killed_ me! I should have you arrested!" Twilight threatened, getting as close to the woman as possible.

"You can't get me arrested because of _one_ near-miss," The woman said matter-of-factly.

"I think I can," Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, _personal_ apprentice of the Arch Mage, Princess Celestia, here on official business."

The woman's face drained of color. "Oh _hell_. You aren't bluffing," She realized.

"No, I'm not," Twilight said, crossing her arms.

The woman's attitude changed in the time it would take to blink. One moment, she was floating next to the boat, and the next, she was at Twilight's feet, nearly sobbing.

"Pleeeeaase don't tell the guards about this! It was an accident! I swear! If I go to prison, it'll go on my record, and I'll never be able to go big with that hanging over me!" The woman wailed. "I'm too _awesome_ to be a weather controller for the rest of my life!"

"Weather controller?" Twilight repeated. "Are you Rainbow Dash?"

The woman's attitude changed again. She stopped crying at Twilight's feet and returned to floating in midair, sticking her chest out proudly.

"The one and only," She said. "I take it you've heard of me?"

"I've heard that you're in charge of Magiville's weather, and that you're good at your job. But now, I'm not so convinced," Twilight said, motioning to the clouds all around them.

"What, those?" Rainbow Dash said. "Eh, I'll get to them later."

"…You'll get to them _later_?" Twilight repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I mean, I was kinda in the middle of training," Rainbow Dash said.

"Training for what?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash looked at her like she was an idiot.

"Well, I'm an Elementalist, so _obviously_ I must be training to be Mystica's next big musical sensation," She said sarcastically. "What do you _think_ I'm training for?"

"The Wonderbolts?" Twilight guessed.

"The Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash said. "The best fliers in Mystica! Only the best of the best are allowed to even lick their _shoes!_ I've been dreaming of joining them since I became an Elementalist!"

"Yeah, I'm sure the Wonderbolts would accept a reckless flier who doesn't even have the drive to do her job on time," Twilight said. Rainbow Dash stared at her through narrowed eyes.

"Was that a challenge?" Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight smirked.

"Maybe it is," She said. "Let's see how fast you can take out every cloud a quarter kilometer from this spot. Impress me, and maybe I won't let the guards know about this little incident."

"Oh, I am going to knock your _socks_ off, buddy," Rainbow Dash said. Twilight winced at the word 'buddy'. "I bet I can clear these skies…" She held up two fingers. "With _two arrows_."

"Then let's see you do it," Twilight said. Rainbow Dash flicked her hand, and a brown bow with white steel blades on the ends, like feathers, materialized in her grip.

"You might want to move back," She said, pointing off to the distance. "Way back."

Twilight grabbed the tiller and the _Charon_ flew off. Rainbow Dash performed some basic stretches while Twilight moved away.

"This should be over quickly," Twilight said to Spike as she reached a safe distance and turned the _Charon_ around to look at Rainbow Dash. "All these clouds, with two arrows? Impossible."

"One!" The speck in the distance that was Rainbow Dash shouted.

The clouds beneath Rainbow Dash exploded outwards as the first arrow punched through them. But then, the clouds started to swirl, following the arrow's path down to the ground.

"No way," Twilight said in disbelief. "A tornado?!"

The new funnel of clouds started to pick up speed, swirling faster and faster. The trees were starting to groan and creak. All the nearby clouds were sucked into the tornado, and Twilight could see Rainbow Dash, hovering above it.

 _"Two!"_ Rainbow Dash shouted. There was a crack of thunder as a lightning bolt shot from Rainbow Dash's bow, piercing straight down through the heart of the tornado. The clouds that had made up the tornado evaporated from the extreme heat of the magical lightning, leaving the skies as clear as pure water. Twilight's jaw was still dropped as Rainbow Dash floated over to the _Charon_ , a grin on her face.

"Lemme guess, you've been rendered speechless?" Rainbow Dash asked, closing Twilight's mouth.

"That was… that was impressive. I honestly thought that…"

"I was all bark and no bite?" Rainbow Dash finished her sentence. "I get that a lot for some reason."

"Well, a deal's a deal," Twilight said, defeated. "I won't tell the guards that you nearly hit me. You'll be able to take care of the rest of the skies before the Summer Sun Celebration, right?"

"As soon as I finish training, yeah," Rainbow Dash said.

"That's the best I'm going to get out of you, isn't it?" Twilight asked, sighing. She pulled out the scroll and crossed 'weather' off. "By the way, can you tell me where I can find the Druid in charge of the Celebration's music?"

"You mean Fluttershy? Sure, she's probably out in the woods, practicing," Rainbow Dash said, pointing to the southeast. "If you're really going to go talk to her, be careful. She's really bad with meeting new people."

"I'll be sure to remember that," Twilight said. "Thank you for your time. And for not killing me."

"Any time, pal," Rainbow Dash said, slapping Twilight on the back. "I gotta get back to training. See ya at the Celebration?"

"Um, yes. Sure," Twilight said. She repressed a groan. She'd been referred to as a friend again.

"Great! Later!" Rainbow Dash said, leaping from the Charon and flying off.

' _That's_ two _friends…'_ Spike remarked. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Spike, I don't think that she counts as a friend for almost killing me," Twilight said, making the _Charon_ descend to the forest floor. "We'll be going on foot from here. We might miss her if we're in the air."

It was a point of pride that Mystica had a very, very low crime rate. There were occasional thieves, of course, but things like murder were very, very rare. In fact, there was only one prison in the nation that was equipped to hold hardcore criminals: the Stalingrad Penitentiary. But even there, there was only one prisoner whose crimes were so heinous she earned a life sentence.

Her name was Nightshade, a former Wonderbolt.

Nightshade lay on her bunk in her solitary cell, her hands behind her head. She was staring at the ceiling, which had the distinction of being the most interesting thing in the world at the moment.

"Three hundred and seventy six," Nightshade said, counting off the last of the tiny dots on the ceiling. She didn't know what they were, only that they were starting to spread. Last time she'd counted, there were only three hundred and seventy four.

"Maybe I miscounted," Nightshade sighed. She closed her eyes. "Well, better start over."

She opened her eyes, and was decidedly unsurprised by the sudden presence of a strange, hooded man in black armor standing over her. What little could be seen of his face was wrinkled and scarred.

"Hello, Nightshade," The man said.

"Hello, strange old fucker who somehow got into my cell," Nightshade said. "Are you actually here or am I just dreaming?"

"I'm very real, I assure you," The old man said. "And I have an offer for you."

"Not even going to introduce yourself, huh?"

"No. First off, what do you know about the Mage in the Moon?" The old man asked. Nightshade shrugged.

"About as much as everyone else. Some mage tried to destroy the sun or some shit, I don't remember, and got banished to the moon for her trouble, yeah? It's a bedtime story. What about it?"

"What if I told you that it wasn't a bedtime story?"

"Then I'd probably just laugh at you. Look, are you going to tell me what you want from me or not?" Nightshade asked impatiently.

The old man grunted. "Long story short, there will be a drastic change in regime tonight. When the smoke clears, our new Queen wants to have people working for her who can perform certain duties without complaint. Due to your track record, we believe that you will be perfect for leading an elite team of flight-capable mages to…"

"I swear, if the next words out of your mouth are 'entertain the populace', I will strangle you with my handcuffs."

"…To ensure that the populace doesn't try and revolt against the new regime."

"Oh. Good," Nightshade said. "So, we'd be like flying military police?"

"I suppose it could be put that way."

"What's the pay like?"

"Straight to business, I see. You'll receive a salary of…"

Nightshade whistled at the number that the old man gave her.

"Damn. You guys must really want me on your side," She said.

"As I said, you possess traits that we find desirable for the position," The old man said.

"You do know why I'm in here, right?" Nightshade asked. "My teamwork skills are a wee bit infamous."

"We're fairly confident that the fact we will not be so merciful to criminals will keep you from going on a rampage and killing four of your teammates."

"And one janitor. Don't forget the janitor."

"My point still stands. Have you come to a decision?"

"Let me think…" Nightshade said. "I could either get out of this shithole and lead a team of flying badasses to uphold whatever laws you people are planning, which would probably involve me getting my hands dirty in the best possible way…" She looked back up at the ceiling. "Or, I could just sit here in this stupid cell for the rest of my life, counting those little dots on the ceiling. Tough choice."

"Well, when you finally make up your mind…" The old man dropped two items on Nightshade's bunk. A ring of keys and a black bow. "…Here's your first test. I'll be waiting for you outside."

With that said, he stepped into the shadows and disappeared. Nightshade didn't waste any time. She picked up the keyring and started testing the keys on her handcuffs. She found the right key on her third try, and the cuffs clicked open.

Nightshade grinned as she felt the magical power the cuffs had been blocking off flow back into her. She felt complete for the first time in five years.

She picked up the black bow next, getting a feel for its weight in her hands. It felt good. Very good. She looked between her bow, the iron bars, and the ring of keys. She could just use the keys on the door, and get out without tripping any alarms, or she could try out her new bow, alerting the guards to her escape, and have to fight her way out.

Tough choice.

A ray of fire formed on her fingertips.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4: The Quiet Druid**

 _'Hey, Twilight, I've been wondering,'_ Spike said as Twilight hiked through the underbrush.

"About what?" Twilight asked, waving a hand to telekinetically move the branches of a bush out of the way.

 _'When the Princess gave you that scroll earlier, you seemed surprised that there was a Druid in charge of the music. Why was that?'_

"Because Druids aren't typically very adept at playing instruments, I suppose," Twilight said. "As a matter of fact, I'm pretty surprised that this town even has a Druid. Most Druids avoid human contact by living in pretty remote places, but I guess this Druid, what was her name? Shutterfly, that's it, Shutterfly must be a bit more social than the common Druid."

 _'Rainbow Dash said her name was Fluttershy, didn't she? Also, she said something about… wait,'_ Spike lifted his head, darting out his tongue to sniff at the air. _'I smell rabbit.'_

"Spike, you know you're not allowed to go hunting," Twilight said. "Plus, haven't you already had lunch?"

 _'Yeah, but I'm hungry again! Please, Twilight? Just one little rabbit?'_ Spike begged, pouting as best he could and making puppy-dog eyes. Twilight sighed.

"Oh, fine. Just don't go too far, alright?" She said. Spike's face lit up, and he jumped down from Twilight's shoulder to vanish in the underbrush.

 _'I won't! Don't worry!'_ He said. In moments, he was too far away for Twilight to feel his presence in her mind. Twilight shook her head at her familiar's actions.

"Dragons," She said. "Always thinking with their stomachs." A second later, there was a sound that Twilight never would have expected to hear in the middle of the woods. The opening notes of Mystica's anthem, in birdsong. It was very faint, only on the edge of Twilight's hearing, but it was unmistakable. Twilight continued on with renewed energy, certain that she had finally found the Druid.

After a minute or so of blundering through the trees and bushes, Twilight finally came across a small clearing, occupied by one woman and a flock of singing birds in the lower branches of a tree situated in the center of the clearing. The woman had her back to Twilight, and was holding up an oaken, branchlike staff, the orb set in its gnarled tip aglow with pink light. Looking closely, Twilight noticed that the eyes of the singing birds were glowing with the same pink light. They were obviously being Enthralled.

Twilight turned her attention to the woman, who was most likely the Druid she was looking for. She couldn't see her face, but she could see that the woman had long, pink hair, and she was wearing a yellow robe with a short, green and blue cape, and a hood. She was also carrying a simple bag made out of what looked like wood fiber. All her attention was on the flock of songbirds perched in the low branches of a tree.

Twilight listened in silence, amazed by both the quality of the music and the fact that this Druid was Enthralling such a large number of songbirds at once. Soon, the birds gave off one final series of chirps, and then they were silent. The Druid lowered her staff, letting out a breath. Twilight, recognizing her opportunity, stepped forward.

"Okay, everyone," The Druid said to her birds, still unaware of Twilight's presence, "That was perfect. If you don't mind, I'd like to give it another go from the top, so we can be ready for…"

"Excuse me?"

The Druid very nearly jumped out of her skin. The songbirds took to the air at the sound of her scream. The Druid turned on her heel to face Twilight, and tried to hide behind her staff. "Pleasedon'thurtme!" She squeaked, clenching her blue eyes shut.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Twilight said, trying her hardest to calm the Druid down. The Druid opened one of her eyes slightly, quickly scanning over Twilight. When she was convinced that Twilight was not going to hurt her, she opened both her eyes, but did not stop cowering.

"Okay, maybe we got started on the wrong foot," Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, from the Royal Court in Camelot. You're Fluttershy, the Druid in charge of the music for the celebration, correct?"

"Um, mhm," The Druid mumbled.

"Good. I must say, I can see why they chose you for the music. I've never heard of a Druid being able to Enthrall so many animals at one time," Twilight said with admiration.

"It was… it was nothing," Fluttershy muttered.

"Nothing? You were just completely Enthralling almost four dozen songbirds! Most Druids would only be able to Enthrall a dozen, at best!" Twilight said. "Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't heard about you before this. You might be one of the most powerful Druids in Mystica!"

"Um, thanks…" Fluttershy mumbled, almost inaudibly. There was a moment of awkward silence. Fluttershy started kicking at the ground and fidgeting.

"So…" Twilight said, trying to at least break the silence. She glanced up, noticing that the songbirds had returned to their branches. "It looks like your birds are back. I'll let you get back to…"

 _'TWILIGHT, SAVE ME!'_ Spike screamed, bursting into the clearing at a run and scrambling up Twilight's leg. He clutched onto her back, staring fearfully in the direction he had come running from.

"Spike? What's wrong?" Twilight asked, feeling that Spike was shuddering.

"Um… what is…" Fluttershy began to ask.

"Sorry, this is my familiar, Spike. I think something must have spooked him," Twilight said.

 _'Spooked me? It nearly KILLED me!'_ Spike said. Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What nearly killed you?" She asked. Her question was answered a second later, when another animal burst out of the same bushes Spike had come out of, its pointed teeth bared. Its beady eyes were locked onto Spike, and it was hissing angrily.

Also, it was a bunny.

Twilight couldn't help herself. She doubled over laughing. "A bunny?! Really, Spike? A bunny?" She said in between fits of laughter.

"Um, that's…" Fluttershy tried to speak up, but Twilight didn't hear her.

"This is what nearly killed you? This cute little bunny?" Twilight said, reaching down to pet it.

' _WAIT, NO!'_ Spike screamed.

"Um, you shouldn't…" Fluttershy tried to warn Twilight, but it was too late. The bunny lashed out at Twilight's hand, biting into it with surprisingly sharp teeth. Twilight shrieked.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" She screamed, swinging her arm to try and throw off the vicious lagomorph. Unfortunately, the bunny's jaws were strong.

"Um, don't… don't scream! I can…" Fluttershy tried to approach Twilight, but was forced back when she was almost hit by the bunny.

"THE TEETH! BY THE GODDESS, I THINK IT MIGHT BE PART WOLF!" Twilight screamed, swinging her arms like a windmill. The bunny was slightly dizzy, but still held on.

"I'm trying to…"

"SPIKE, ROAST IT! ROAST IT!"

 _'I'm not pissing it off any more than I already have!'_

 _"STOP!"_

Every blade of grass in the clearing, and every leaf on the nearby trees were blasted back as if there was a sudden wind emanating from the Druid. Twilight, acting on pure instinct, decided that it was a good idea to listen to Fluttershy. The bunny didn't let go, but Twilight ignored the pain. When Fluttershy realized that she had just raised her voice, she ducked her head sheepishly.

"I mean, if that's okay with you…" She mumbled. "Um, Angel Bunny? Could you maybe, um, stop trying to bite her hand off?" The bunny growled (Twilight hadn't even known bunnies could growl) and let go. It hopped off to sit at Fluttershy's feet, and stared at Twilight, a disapproving scowl on its face.

"I'm so sorry about Angel. Very, very sorry. He has…" Fluttershy lowered her voice slightly. "…Anger management issues."

"I never would have guessed," Twilight said, looking at the blood on her hand from the bunny bite. Fluttershy quickly stepped forward and grabbed Twilight's hand, covering the wound with her palm. Twilight's hand began to feel warm, and slightly tingly. When Fluttershy released her hand, the wound was gone.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked your permission before I did that, but it looked like…"

"It's alright. Thank you very much," Twilight said, wiping away the blood. "I'll just have to make sure that Spike doesn't try to eat anything that can fight back." Spike peeked over Twilight's shoulder, looking warily at the bunny, who glared back with murderous intent.

Fluttershy stared at Spike for a second before her eyes widened. _"A baby dragon!"_ She gasped. Fluttershy seemingly vanished from Twilight's vision, and Twilight could feel Spike being pulled off her back. She turned around to see Fluttershy, all traces of her former shyness gone, holding Spike and inspecting him thoroughly.

"He can't be any more than ten. Oh, his scales… he hasn't been eating very many gems, has he? They're not treats, they're supposed to be a part of his diet. He should at least have a bit of quartz with every meal. It helps dragons grow, and it makes their scales shinier. What breed is he? Southern Jungle? No, his claws are too sharp. He could be an Eastern Forest, but his tail's the wrong shape. Oh, I've got it! Western Mountains! Definitely Western Mountains!" Fluttershy decided, her words blurring together.

 _'Talkative, isn't she?'_ The baby dragon said in Twilight's mind.

"He's so cute," Fluttershy cooed. "I'm sorry, it's just that this is the first time I've ever seen a baby dragon. You said his name is Spike?"

"Y-yes," Twilight answered, still taken aback by Fluttershy's sudden lecture.

"That's a very nice name," Fluttershy said, handing Spike back to Twilight. "Um, if you don't mind, could I ask you a few questions about what it's like raising a baby dragon?"

"Uh, I'm sorry, but we're on a bit of a tight schedule at the moment. I have to head to Magiville to speak with the person in charge of decorations for the celebration, and I have no idea how long that could take," Twilight said, honestly just looking for an excuse to not waste time talking to Fluttershy. There was research to do, damn it.

"I can walk with you into town, if you'd like. We could talk on the way there, and if I'm helping you with the bushes and things, getting there would be a lot quicker..." Fluttershy suggested. Twilight, unable to find any fault with her logic, sighed.

"I suppose you have a point," She said, walking out of the clearing with Fluttershy on her heels. True to her word, Fluttershy's staff began to glow, and the bushes in Twilight's path moved themselves out of the way. "Alright, ask away."

"Oh, I'd love to, but first, um, I don't know if you're doing this on purpose or not, and if you are, then I'm sure you have a perfectly good reason, but..." Fluttershy pointed over her shoulder. "Um, town is that way."

Twilight turned around. "I knew that. I was just testing you. Congratulations, you passed," She said, walking past Fluttershy. Fluttershy grinned.

"Yay!" She squealed, following Twilight like some sort of puppy. "Oh, wait, the questions. I don't have many, just some pretty basic things I wanted to know."

"Such as?" Twilight asked, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. Fluttershy took a deep breath.

"Before he hatched, how big was his egg? Did you keep the eggshells? What did he look like right after he hatched? How long until he..." Fluttershy kept rambling on as they walked, not even giving Twilight enough time to answer her questions. Twilight groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long walk.

Deep in the Everfree Forest was a hole in the ground. The hole itself was not very special; it was what it led to that was more interesting. A deep expanse of tunnels and dens, belonging to the rulers of the Everfree: the werewolves. Wolves that had learned the art of magic, and gained the power of opposable thumbs. The only things separating them from humans were their coarse gray fur, their dog-like faces, and a slight lack of intelligence.

They weren't dumb, per se, just not entirely clever. When hunting, they were masters of strategy, but in other endeavors, such as reading, logic, and basic addition, they… were less than stellar.

Take, for example, the current Alpha of the Everfree's werewolf pack, the Diamond Dogs. He was standing outside the tunnels to the dens, and he was staring at the sun, as he had been for several minutes. It was an impressive show of willpower, however. His eyes were watering, but he did not care. The sight would probably be burned into his vision for the rest of the day, but he did not care.

He was _monologing_ , damn it. This was one of the things that you had to do when monologing. Stare at the object of your disdain. Even if said object was the sun.

"Your time is coming, shining daystar," He growled through a mouth of sharp teeth, holding up a furry claw as if he was grasping the sun. "Your lies are about to catch up with you. The true Queen shall return, and she shall…"

"Uh, Roh-Ver?" A scratchy voice said from the hole. The Alpha's eye began to twitch as he turned on his abnormally short subordinate.

" _Spaht!_ What have I told you about sneaking up on me when I'm monologing?!" Roh-Ver howled. Spaht scratched his chin for a second, giving the illusion of thought.

"…Not to do it?" He guessed. Roh-Ver answered him by striking him on the head with a meaty paw, sending him back into the hole.

"Yes! Now, unless somebody is bleeding everywhere, leave me be!" He yelled into the hole, then turned away, grumbling. He looked back up at the sun, fighting back his urge to squint as he tried to remember where he had been. "Ahem. The true Queen shall return, and she shall tear down the kingdom you have spent so long building, and a new kingdom will rise: a kingdom where…"

"Roh-Ver, this is kinda important…" Spaht said from the hole. Roh-Ver groaned, and decided that if he didn't deal with Spaht, he'd never get his monolog finished.

" _Fine!_ What is it?" He growled, turning to Spaht.

"Fie-Doh stole my meat!" Spaht said. A paw almost as big as Spaht reached up from the hole and shoved Spaht aside, and the hulking Fie-Doh popped out of the hole.

"Did not! I found it fair and square!" He said.

"You found it in my paws, you liar!" Spaht said, struggling against Fie-Doh's paw. The larger werewolf showed no signs of budging.

"Enough! Spaht, are you so weak you had to come running to me to solve your problems?" Roh-Ver asked. Spaht opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted. "The answer is yes! You are that weak to be pushed around by Fie-Doh, and if you want some meat, you can go hunting yourself!"

"But I _did_ hunt for the meat! And I was cooking it myself!" Spaht said. "Fie-Doh saw me cooking it on the fire, so he just…"

"You _what?!"_ Roh-Ver howled. "You _cooked_ your meat?!"

"Um, yes?" Spaht said. Fie-Doh laughed, picking a few shreds of meat from his teeth.

"If you can call that 'cooking'," He said. "I was saving that meat from your pathetic culinary attempts!"

"I was experimenting, you buffoon! I seasoned it with these weird plants I found in the forest, then slow-roasted it to seal in the flavor and the juices, and I was almost done when you yanked it off the fire!" Spaht said.

"You wouldn't know proper roasting if it bit you in the leg! You have to turn the meat! You were just letting one side of it get turned to charcoal!"

"Are you idiots?!" Roh-Ver finally screamed. Fie-Doh and Spaht looked at him, as if they had forgotten he was there. "You are Diamond Dogs! The greatest werewolves in the Everfree Forest! Servants to the Banished Queen! You do not cook your meat! You eat meat raw, bloody, and twitching."

If Fie-Doh and Spaht had any wisdom, they would have stayed silent.

However, werewolves are not known for wisdom.

"But if we eat meat raw, we could get salmonella!" Spaht pointed out.

"Salmonella is from poultry, idiot! You were cooking venison!"

Roh-Ver growled, closing his eyes as Spaht and Fie-Doh continued to argue. "Moon, grant me the strength that I may pummel these idiots," He prayed. He pulled back his upper lip, baring his sharp fangs, and without making a sound, leapt on the arguing pair of werewolves. What followed was at least an hour of Roh-Ver, Spaht and Fie-Doh brawling throughout the tunnels.

When the dust finally cleared, Roh-Ver was mostly uninjured, while Spaht and Fie-Doh were buried up to their necks in the floor. "Anything else you idiots want to say?" Roh-Ver growled.

"How come there are so many tiny little birds down here...?" Fie-Doh asked woozily. Roh-Ver hit him on the head. "Ooh, now they're stars..."

"Oh, shut up," Roh-Ver said, turning away from Spaht and Fie-Doh. "Get out of those holes and go lick your wounds. The Moon will need you at your best for tonight."

"Yes, Alpha."


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch. 5: The Beautiful Enchantress**

The walk into town, with Fluttershy's help, took about half an hour. During this half an hour, Fluttershy refused to stop talking.

"How long does he sleep? What time does he go to bed? What time does he wake up? Does he snore? If he snores, does it sound like…" Fluttershy made a deep snorting noise in the back of her throat. "Or like…" She began to breath very heavily. "Does he ever breath fire when he sleeps? If so, how…"

"Oh look we're here," Twilight said, finally stepping out of the forest and into the outskirts of Magiville.

"But… I had so many more questions I wanted to ask, and…"

"And I'm sure that I can answer them for you later. In the meantime, however, I really have to go. Thank you very much for your help," Twilight said.

"Um, okay. Will you be at the Celebration? Could we talk then, if you don't mind?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, sure. Have a nice day," Twilight said, quickly walking away from the Druid.

"Y-you too," Fluttershy said quietly. Twilight did not hear her. She had already rounded a corner and was out of sight. Fluttershy looked down at Angel. "Um, Angel, did I… did I just make a friend?" Angel just shrugged.

"Wow, whoever they hired to do the decorations is really good," Twilight remarked as she walked through the plaza. There were banners hanging from the buildings, streamers forming spider webs between lamp posts, and dozens of other types of decorations, all in brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges to be reminiscent of the dawn.

"Excuse me," Twilight said, stopping a passerby carrying a ladder. "I'm looking for the person in charge of the decorations. Can you tell me where she is?"

"She's right over there," The man said, pointing to a woman sitting at a table on the other side of the plaza.

"Thank you very much," Twilight said, walking towards her. The man nodded, and went on his way.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Might I have a word with you?" Twilight asked. The woman held up one gloved finger to silence her.

"Just a moment, please," She said. "I'm almost done with this lantern."

Twilight looked over the woman's shoulder at the table. It was covered in materials to make paper lanterns, emblazoned with Celestia's insignia, the Eight-Armed Sun. The woman was holding one of these almost-completed lanterns, concentrating on it. There was a brief hum of magic, and the paper lantern took on a warm yellow glow. The decorator tossed it lightly into the air, where it hung unassisted. The decorator, obviously pleased with her work, gave the lantern a small push, sending it gliding off.

"There we are," The decorator said, standing up and turning to face Twilight. "Now, how can I help you?"

To call her anything less than beautiful would be an insult. She had long, curled purple hair, obviously well cared-for, skin like a porcelain doll, and sapphire-blue eyes with matching eye shadow. She was wearing a golden crown with five gems, likely focus gems, a long white dress, a pair of elbow gloves made of some glittering fabric, and a magenta shawl.

 _'Holy moly, she's hot,'_ Spike said. Twilight ignored that remark.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm here as representative of the Royal Court of Camelot to check up on preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. I was told that you were in charge of the decorations for the Celebration, and from what I've seen, it looks like you have it mostly under control," Twilight noticed that the woman was staring at her with wide, fear-filled eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Your... _hair_ ," The woman said.

"Sorry?"

"Your _hair!"_ Suddenly, the woman invaded Twilight's personal space and grabbed her hair, inspecting it closely. "Oh, by the Goddess… ugh, split ends, knots… Honestly, it's like you're not even trying to take care of yourself," The woman said, running a hand through Twilight's long hair. Twilight brushed her hand away, and took a step back.

"Do you _mind?"_ She said. The woman didn't hear her, and she stepped back into Twilight's personal space, grabbing her face and staring intently at it.

"You have a _marvelous_ complexion, but there are some patches of dry skin. And it wouldn't hurt to go outside a little, you know. A bit of a recluse, are we?" The woman asked, though it was obvious that she knew the answer. Twilight grabbed her wrists.

"Will you please keep your hands to yourself?" She said. The woman stared at Twilight's hands.

"My word, you've never had a manicure in your life, have you? And your clothing…" The woman slipped her wrists out of Twilight's grasp, and grabbed her sleeves. "Ah, a Whirly Willow original, I see. You've been wearing these clothes for almost two years now, haven't you?"

"Two years, six months, and seven days, to be exact," Twilight said automatically. "But how did you…"

"The stitching is a bit worn out here. The stitching itself is good, but this kind of thread tends to get worn out after two years or so. Nothing too serious. It can be fixed in a jiffy by anyone with a sewing needle and a few minutes to spare," The woman said. She stared at Twilight's clothes again, this time seeming to stare through the cloth at something only she could see. "Let's see… Cleansing, Anti-Wrinkling, Basic Physical Protection, Advanced Magical Protection… Very good Enchantments. They've started to lose potency, however."

"I haven't noticed any changes…" Twilight interjected.

"That's because you're not an Enchantress. You can't see the Enchantments like I can," The woman said. "Alright, I've decided."

"Decided wh – Hey!" Twilight shouted as the woman turned her around and started to direct her out of the plaza.

"You, my dear, are in terrible, terrible need of a good makeover," The woman said. "And I know _just_ the place."

"Aloe! Lotus!" The woman called out as she shoved Twilight through the front door of the small spa. The pink-haired woman sitting at the front desk looked up at the sound of their entry, and smiled courteously at them.

"Welcome, Miss Rarity. I did not know you had a session scheduled for today," She said with a light accent that Twilight could not identify. Twilight's kidnapper, Rarity, apparently, shook her head.

"It's not for me, Lotus," She said, pushing Twilight forward. "Look."

"Ma'am, this woman kidnapped me…" Twilight tried to say. Naturally, she was ignored. Lotus's eyes widened in fear as she looked over Twilight.

"Aloe! We have a Code Red-Seven!" She shouted into the back room. Another woman, almost identical to Lotus, except with blue hair, appeared. When she saw Twilight, her eyes widened in fear as well.

"I won't lie: this might be the greatest challenge either of you have ever undertaken. Give her your deluxe treatment," Rarity said. "And put it on my tab."

Before Twilight could tell Rarity that her actions, while generous, were unnecessary, Aloe and Lotus vaulted over the counter and pulled Twilight away.

Soon, Twilight found herself in a position she'd hoped to never find herself in: stripped of her clothing, forced into a (very comfy) bathrobe, and lying face down on a table with green mud and cucumber slices on her face.

"What… What just happened?" Twilight asked. Rarity appeared at her side, holding Twilight's perfectly folded clothing. Twilight, of course, could not see this because of the cucumber. "Spike? Spike, get help! I think I've been mugged!"

 _'She's even more beautiful up close…'_ Spike mused from his perch on Rarity's shoulder. Rarity, surprisingly, did not seem to mind his presence.

"You aren't being mugged, dear. Aloe and Lotus are the best in the business, and I think that you sorely require their expertise. Now, you just relax, and I'll be back in an hour with your clothes," Rarity said, laying a reassuring hand on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight tried to stand up, but was pushed back down by Aloe and Lotus.

"If I fall asleep and wake up in a bathtub full of ice cubes, then so help me…"

"Just relax," Rarity said as she left, taking Spike with her.

"How can I relax?!" Twilight shouted after her. "Spike! Help me, you backstabber! By the time I'm done with you, they'll…"

Twilight's ranting stopped dead as soon as Aloe and Lotus began their massage. Everything escaped her. All her worries about the return of Nightmare Moon, all the stress, and all the tension in her body just faded away. In the space of one second, every muscle in Twilight's body relaxed, and she practically melted into the table.

"Ohhhh... Thaaaat's gooood…" She moaned. She couldn't see it, but Aloe and Lotus were grinning victoriously.

True to her word, Rarity returned to the spa an hour later, Twilight's clothing and familiar in tow. She handed off the clothes to Aloe, who in turn brought them to Twilight, and a few minutes later, Twilight stepped out, looking like a new person. Rarity applauded at the sight of her.

"Marvelous! Simply marvelous!" She said. "See? Don't you feel so much better?"

"Actually, yes. Thank you so very much for that, Miss Rarity. I really needed it," Twilight said, giving a polite bow. "So, how much do I owe you for your work on the clothes?"

"Please, just call me Rarity. All my friends do. And don't worry, Twilight, you don't owe me a thing. I enjoy working pro bono," Rarity said. Twilight was able to repress a shudder at the f-word.

"Then I am very grateful for your generosity," Twilight said. A second later, she noticed that Spike was still sitting on Rarity's shoulder, looking at her dreamily. "Oh, jeez. He's been like that the entire time, hasn't he? Has he been bothering you?"

"On the contrary, Spikey-wikey here has been a wonderful help," Rarity said, giving Spike a tiny scratch under the chin. Spike almost purred.

"Sp-Spikey-wikey?" Twilight chortled, unable to contain her mirth.

"Well, I heard you call him Spike while I was leaving, and he's just so cute," Rarity said.

"I see. Come here, Spikey-wikey," Twilight said, giggling as she said it.

 _'I don't want to,'_ Spike said, lifting his nose in the air haughtily.

"Spike."

 _'Yes ma'am.'_

In a single bound, Spike leapt from Rarity to Twilight, taking up his position on Twilight's shoulder.

"Good boy," Twilight chuckled. "Now, to business. The decorations…"

"Have been taken care of. No need to worry," Rarity said.

"That's good to hear. Thank you very much for your time, and for…" Twilight gestured at her hair and her clothing. "…For this."

"No trouble whatsoever," Rarity said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Still, thanks," Twilight said, feeling that she had not been anywhere near grateful enough yet. "By the way, could you point me towards the Books and Branches Library?"

"But of course. Just take a left outside, head down the main road and take your third right. The library is impossible to miss; it's the only building that's a tree," Rarity said.

"Great. Thanks," Twilight said, making her way to the door. Rarity stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Before you go, I have to ask something important," Rarity said, a look of concern on her face.

 _'Please don't ask about Blueblood. Please don't ask about Blueblood. Please don't ask about Blueblood,'_ Twilight chanted in her mind.

"Have you met a girl with pink hair yet?" Rarity asked.

"Fluttershy? Yes, actually," Twilight said, remembering Fluttershy's endless stream of questions. Rarity shook her head.

"No, not her. I mean a girl with curly pink hair, that kind of looks like cotton candy, I suppose?" Rarity guessed. Twilight shook her head, which made Rarity arch her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? You haven't met her yet? That's odd," She mused.

"What's odd?" Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Nothing. Never mind. You'll… you'll see. Probably," Rarity said. "Well, I won't keep you here any longer. Will you be staying for the celebration?"

"Most likely. And thanks again," Twilight said, turning to leave the spa. Again, Rarity stopped her.

"One last thing," Rarity said. "You're familiar with the Royal Court, correct? Have you ever met...Prince Blueblood?"

Twilight's eye twitched. "I'm terribly sorry. The name doesn't ring a bell," She lied. "Now, I really do have to go. Have a nice evening." Twilight quickly left the spa, leaving behind a bewildered Rarity.

"Doesn't know Prince Blueblood? My, she must be more of a recluse than I thought," Rarity said to herself.

"Where did you get that?"

Billy kept his eyes, one of which was swollen shut, on the ground, not wanting to meet his mother's glare. "I… fell down some stairs and hit a doorknob," He lied. His mother bonked him on the head. It didn't hurt, but he didn't want her to do it again.

"Don't lie to me, Billy. Was it those kids at school again?" His mother asked. Billy's head barely even moved as he nodded. His mother sighed. "Did you fight back?"

"No! I couldn't!" Billy said, lifting his head to see the concern on his mother's face. "They… they have magic, and I… don't."

"So you just let them beat you black and blue?"

"It's not like I could do anything back to them…"

Billy's mother threw her head back and laughed boisterously.

"Kid, that's the biggest load of pure grade-A bull crap I've ever heard!" She said when she was finally done laughing. "Look at yourself! You could pick up those kids and use them to juggle!"

Billy looked down at himself. He was much bigger than other kids his age. He was bigger than most of the older kids, too. And his muscles were… massive, to say the least.

Billy was thirteen. He was almost six feet tall, and his growth showed no signs of stopping.

"But… if I do that, then I'll be just as bad as they are," He said.

His mother snorted. "Billy – Iron Will, you listen to me and you listen good. Have you ever heard the saying 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'?"

"Y-yeah," Young Iron Will said. He was always thinking about that saying. It was what he kept in his mind when he was being beat up.

"Well, forget about it," His mother said. "They start a fight, you show 'em your bite."

"But I…"

"No buts, young man. You're too tough to let yourself be treated like a doormat," His mother said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't forget that."

"…Yes, mama."

"Good. BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGG!"

"Huh?"

"BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGG!"

"…Oh!" Iron Will slapped his forehead. "That's the alarm clock!"

"BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGG!"

"Alright, alright, you infernal machine! Iron Will is waking up!"

Iron Will forced himself into consciousness and delicately silenced the clock on his bedside. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up.

"Big day today," He said to himself, swinging his legs out of bed. He stood up without thinking, and accidentally hit his head on the ceiling.

"Quiet down there!" Came a muffled shout from the apartment up above.

"Sorry!" Iron Will bellowed at the ceiling. "IRON WILL!" He flexed his biceps for an imaginary crowd. "Did not mean to wake you up!"

"QUIET!" The rest of the building's tenants shouted.

"SORRY!" Iron Will yelled back, raising his voice so that everybody would know he was sorry.

With the daily shouting match concluded, Iron Will continued on with his morning ritual. He took a shower, brushed his teeth, flossed, had an omelet and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, read the morning paper, sharpened his battleax, went over his leather armor with a soft cloth, and did his morning stretches.

Iron Will looked fondly at the picture frame on his bookshelf, the final part of his morning ritual. "Won't be long now, baby," He said tenderly, brushing the picture as if doing so would allow him to be drawn into it. "IRON WILL!" He struck a muscle-accentuating pose. "…Is going to fulfill his promise to you soon. Just one more job, and we can finally be together. Just you and IRON WILL!"

"KEEP IT DOWN!" The ceiling shouted.

Iron Will grumbled, and took the picture out of its frame, tucking it lovingly into his armor. "Pretty soon," He whispered, glaring at the ceiling, "Iron Will!" He struck a more subdued pose. "…isn't gonna have to deal with you anymore."

After that, he left the apartment building, somehow managing to squeeze his way through doors that were not meant for eight-foot-tall mountains of muscle and machismo.

A quick glance at his pocket watch told him that if he didn't hurry it up, he wouldn't reach the pick-up spot in time. He had been told by his secretive employer that if he was even a minute late, he could start looking for different contracts. It was an odd condition, and the man who had given him the contract was more than a little shady – dressed from head to toe in black – but Iron Will was in no position to complain.

He was a mercenary, and for what these 'Shadow Blades' were paying him, he'd lay siege to Camelot under the command of a vengeful demigoddess intent on ruling over Mystica with an iron fist.

Theoretically, of course.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch. 6: The Loony Trickster**

 _'…And she has a little sister named Sweetie Belle, and a cat named Opalescence that I think might be evil, and…'_

"Alright, Spike. I get it. You think she's the bee's knees," Twilight said, cutting off her familiar's ranting.

 _'Sorry, Twilight. She's just so_ amazing…' Spike sighed. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"You have _such_ a one-track mind," She said.

 _'I think I'm in love, Twilight,'_ Spike confessed.

"Really? What about Moondancer?" Twilight asked.

 _'That was just a boyhood crush.'_

"That was _yesterday."_

Spike made a show of ignoring Twilight for the rest of the walk to the library. Sure enough, Rarity had been right. It was a tree. But that didn't really have Twilight's attention at the moment.

The front door was slightly ajar.

" _That_ can't be good," Twilight said to herself, checking the door for any signs of forced entry. None.

 _'Think it's a robber?'_ Spike asked, peering into the dark library.

"I don't know. Maybe," Twilight said, slowly pushing the door open. It creaked ominously. Twilight summoned her staff to her hands out of habit.

 _'Maybe it's haunted,'_ Spike suggested.

"Spike, why would the Princess send me to stay somewhere haunted?"

 _'Twilight, have you forgotten some of the other tests she's given you?'_ Spike asked. For a moment, Twilight shuddered.

"Good point," She said. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving them in complete darkness.

 _'Ghosts! Panic!'_ Spike screeched.

"It was just the wind, Spike," Twilight whispered.

 _'That's what they want you to think.'_

"You read _way_ too many ghost stories, Spike," Twilight said, feeling along the wall for a light switch. After a few moments, she found it and flipped it without a moment's hesitation.

The room was empty, without any sign of a burglar. Twilight sighed in relief.

"See, Spike? I told you this place wasn't haunted," She said.

"Yeah, this library isn't haunted! Well, there was a ghost in this spooky old abandoned house just down the block a few years ago, but it turned out it was just Mr. Jenkins wearing a bed sheet," A pink-haired woman standing next to Twilight said.

Twilight stared at her.

Then screamed.

The woman screamed back.

Then Twilight screamed even louder.

The woman, not to be outdone, screamed even louder than that, and right in Twilight's face, nearly breaking her eardrums.

"Were we having a screaming contest? Did I win? I bet I won, because I'm really, really good at being loud!" The woman said.

"Wh-who are you? How did you get in here?" Twilight demanded, holding her staff at the ready as she looked over the strange woman.

The first thing that caught Twilight's eye was the woman's hair. It was pink, and looked like fluffy cotton candy. It was only barely contained by a twin-tailed jester's cap on the woman's head, emblazoned with three balloons. She was wearing a dark pink overcoat with puffy pink sleeves, and a pair of white frilly gloves. The woman was wearing a simple leotard under her jacket, leaving her legs bare except for the curly toed shoes she wore.

"I'm Pinkie Pie! Hi!" The woman said cheerfully.

"Okay, Pinkie Pie, what are you doing in here?" Twilight asked. Pinkie Pie creased her brow, as if she was deep in thought.

"Good question," She said, shrugging. "I can't remember!"

There was only silence.

"…You can't remember," Twilight repeated, looking at Pinkie like she was insane, which she very well might have been. Pinkie's eyes widened, and she clicked her fingers.

"Waitwaitwait! I remember now! I was waiting for you in here because I got tired of waiting for you out there!" She said, obviously proud of herself for remembering.

"Waiting for me? Out there? What are you talking about?" Twilight asked.

"Tingly foot," Pinkie said.

"What?"

"My foot felt tingly this morning!" Pinkie said without any further explanation.

"…And...?"

"Whenever my foot gets tingly, it means one of two things! Either somebody new is coming into town, or my foot is asleep! And I knew it wasn't that my foot had fallen asleep, because I was wide awake, and why would my foot be sleepy anyway, so I knew that it must mean that there was somebody new in town! And you know what that means!" Pinkie Pie said. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?" She finally asked.

"It means that I simply have got to be the first person you meet when you get into town! So, bright and early, I went down to the road to Camelot to wait for you, and I knew you would be coming from Camelot because it was my big toe that woke up first. So I was waiting there for a few hours, since I figured that if anybody was going to be coming, they would be coming in on the road, but I guess I was wrong, so eventually I just got bored and decided to go to the place you would be staying!" Pinkie said, the words tumbling out of her mouth like water from a faucet.

"Wait, how did you know I would be staying here?" Twilight asked. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that she should really be a bit angrier at Pinkie for breaking and entering, but what this madwoman was saying raised so many questions it was hard to resist asking.

"Oh that's easy! I knew you would be staying here because I ate a fortune cookie!" Pinkie said, producing a small slip of paper.

"Hold on, a _fortune cookie_ told you that I would be staying in this library?" Twilight clarified. Pinkie Pie nodded. Twilight snatched the paper from her and read it aloud.

"'Today you will find the person you are looking for'," She said. "But that doesn't say…"

"It came true, didn't it?" Pinkie asked, taking the paper back from Twilight.

"But… it doesn't even make any… I don't even…"

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

Twilight rubbed her temples to relax her aching head. She created a new corner for information in her mind, labeled it 'Pinkie Pie', tossed what she had just heard inside it, and then forgot about its existence. "Okay then, now that I'm finally here, why were you waiting for me?" Twilight asked.

"Because I don't know you, and since I'm friends with everybody, and you count as an everybody, that means I have to make friends with you, and in my book (available at your local bookstore) there's only two good ways to make a friend, but we can't do one of them because it involves getting hammered and having a fistfight with the guards and I'm not allowed within a hundred meters of the bar anyway, so that leaves only one way I can make you my friend and that's…" Pinkie jumped up, threw her head back, and spread her arms, as if she was trying to give the entire room a hug. "A PARTY!"

If there were any crickets with a good sense of timing nearby, they would have chosen that moment to start chirping.

"Um, what p-" Twilight was interrupted when Pinkie Pie screamed like a banshee.

"OH CRAP I SPENT SO LONG WAITING I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO PLAN THE PARTY!" She screamed. "Oh man, oh man, I'm so sorry! I swear, this has never happened to me! Just – just give me an hour or so, and I'll be back with some streamers and some confetti and some balloons and some _ooh I know what to do!"_

'I think we might be standing in the presence of the village idiot,' Spike remarked as Pinkie reached into one of her pockets, her arm vanishing up to the elbow.

"I think you're right." Twilight whispered back.

"Lessee… no, no, maybe, _yes_ wait never mind, no, no, maybe later, oh, there we go. Ta da!" Pinkie said, pulling her hand out of her pocket. She was holding a rubber chicken. "Hold on, that's not it."

"Why do you have a rubber chicken in your pocket?" Twilight felt obligated to ask.

"Cuz the living chickens struggle too much," Pinkie said, cramming the chicken back into her pocket and continuing to rummage around in it. "And any good Trickster Mage has got to be prepared for any occasion, so I've got lotsa stuff in my pockets! But, whenever there's any need for me to set up a party in a jiffy, there's one thing that I rely on!"

"I'm almost scared to know what it is," Twilight said.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly legal, or at least until the Mayor passes that new law! BEHOLD!" There was a pop as Pinkie pulled something out of her pocket, and a heavy thud as its two pink, flower-decorated wheels hit the floor. Twilight's eyes almost fell out of her head. "My PARTY CANNON!"

"How… how did _that_ fit in your pocket?" The logical side of Twilight had to ask.

"Not a clue!" Pinkie said carelessly, producing a lit match from thin air and lighting the blue cannon's fuse. "But I'm not complaining!"

"Waitwaitwait!" Twilight lunged forwards and quickly blew out the fuse. Pinkie Pie pouted pitifully. "Are you _insane_?! No, don't answer that. Why on earth would you think about using that thing in _here_?"

"Oh, do you want the party outside? We can do that! I like outdoor parties!" Pinkie squealed.

"I don't want a party!" Twilight shouted. Pinkie stared at her as if she had just said that she enjoyed kicking puppies.

"Can you run that by me again?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I… do… not… _want_ … a… party," Twilight said slowly. Pinkie apparently understood what Twilight was saying this time, because she stuck out her lower lip and her eyes started to water.

"Bu-bu-but… but I always throw parties for new people in town," She blubbered. "Because n-new people don't know anybody in town, and pa-parties are great ways to get to know people, and make friends, and be happy…"

"Oh no. No. Don't cry. Please, don't cry," Twilight begged, stepping forward to try and comfort Pinkie before she really turned on the waterworks. Too late. Pinkie threw her head back and wailed like a child, literally crying a waterfall.

"BUT YOU DON'T WANT A PARTY! AND THAT MAKES ME SO SAAAAAD!" She sobbed. Twilight grimaced, realizing what she would have to do to get Pinkie to stop crying.

"Okay, you can plan a party for me!"

Pinkie immediately stopped crying. "Did you just say that you want a party?" She asked.

"Yes," Twilight groaned. Pinkie grinned at her, and started to bounce up and down happily.

"Oh goody! This is gonna be great! We can have punch, and streamers, and confetti, and piñatas, and balloons, and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, and…" Twilight held up a hand to stop Pinkie's list.

"Just… one favor," She said. "Do you think we could have it after the Summer Sun Celebration?"

 _'But we're going straight back to Camelot after… ohhhh.'_

"After the Summer Sun Celebration? That's gonna be a tough act to follow, but okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie Pie rubbed her hands together as she began to laugh darkly. "I'll show them what happens when you try to plan a giant party without my help. Ohh, I'll show them."

"I'll… leave you to it, then. But right now," Twilight faked a yawn. "Oh wow. Today has been really tiring for me. I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open. I'm so sleepy."

"I can get you some coffee, if you want! I work at Sugarcube Corner, and they have the best coffee you could ask for!" Pinkie Pie offered. Twilight shook her head.

"No, thank you. I just think I'm going to turn in for the night. As in, right now," Twilight lied.

"But it's only…"

Twilight yawned again.

"Wowzers, you _are_ tired!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Okay, I'll let you get some sleep! See you right before sunrise?"

"Of course you will. Now, could you please leave before I fall asleep right here?" Twilight asked politely.

"Good idea! You never know when a nap can strike!" Pinkie said sagely. "Buh-bye, then!" And with that, she cartwheeled out the door, which Twilight quickly closed and locked behind her. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Spike, take a letter," She said. Spike hiccupped out a scroll and quill. "'Dear Princess Celestia, the preparations are taken care of. Signed, Twilight Sparkle. Post-script: Everybody in this town is completely insane. Post-post-script: I still think Nightmare Moon is going to return.' Send."

Spike finished scratching out the letter, rolled it up, and blew a short stream of green flame, burning the scroll and not even leaving behind any ashes.

 _'All done,'_ He reported. _'The Princess is going to get here in the Alicorn in the morning, right?'_

"Just before sunrise, yes. So, we've got a few hours," Twilight said, looking around the room at the numerous shelves of books. "Time to do some reading."

 _'About what?'_ Spike asked.

"The old stories of Nightmare Moon, of course," Twilight said. "I'm especially interested in finding out how she was defeated. The old stories just skipped straight over that part, for some reason. I've also been wondering about that last line in Delphi's prophecy. 'The last light in the Dark answers Harmony's call'. I'd like to see if there's anything in here that might shed some light on that. Also…"

Spike tuned out Twilight's voice, his thoughts turning back to the beautiful woman they had met earlier.

The light of the candles seemed pitiful in the dark room, but the man dressed in black, kneeling in the center of the room, did not care. It was the inevitable fate of light to be swallowed by the darkness. This was the truth that the Shadow Blades had always been taught.

"O mighty Queen, I am thy servant," The man intoned reverently. "In the path of the darkness, thou hast shown us the way. I am the eyes through which thou see. I am the hands through which thou act. I am the feet through which thou walk. I am the blade through which thou strike. I am a Shadow Blade. My life is thine, to use as thou see fit."

There was a familiar deep roar in the back of his mind. The Queen, the Mage in the Moon, was choosing to speak with him. Words began to form out of the ceaseless roar. _'IS EVERYTHING PREPARED?'_ It spoke.

"Yes, my Queen. The Necromancer has raised an army of the dead numbering nearly a thousand for you to command, and we have secured the loyalty of a pack of werewolves. We have also secured a suitable candidate to lead an elite flight team, and I took the liberty of hiring a very powerful mercenary."

 _'AND WHAT OF CELESTIA?'_

"We have our eyes on the _Alicorn_ , and will follow it the moment it leaves Camelot."

 _'GOOD. DO NOT FAIL US. WE REWARD THOSE THAT ARE LOYAL, BUT WE HATH NO PATIENCE FOR FOOLS. SERVE US ON THIS NIGHT AS THOU AND THY FAMILY HAVE FOR A HUNDRED YEARS, AND THY ORDER WILL BECOME LORDS AND DUKES IN OUR NEW COURT.'_

"I need no reward, my Queen," The man said, bowing his head. "My reward is the fruition of the work of my father, and his father before him."

 _'THY HUMILITY SERVES THEE WELL. WE SHALL SOON MEET FACE TO FACE. DO NOT DISAPPOINT US,'_ The Queen warned, and the roar in the man's mind faded away. He stood up and exited the room. Several other men, dressed in matching black all-concealing clothing, stood at attention outside the room.

"You all know what you must do. Get to it," The man ordered. The other Shadow Blades bowed.

"Yes, Grand Master."


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. 7: Long Live The Queen**

The Alicorn, Princess Celestia's personal galleon, hovered in the night air above the Starfall Plains, a perfectly flat expanse of grasslands between Camelot and Magiville. At Celestia's bidding, the crew of the Alicorn had taken the lifeboats and abandoned ship, at least temporarily. The small lifeboats had flown off unseen, the invisibility charms over them successfully disguising their presence. The crew had been confused, but Celestia didn't need to do much convincing. When an immortal demigoddess tells you to do something for your own safety, it is usually a good idea to follow her orders.

Celestia closed her eyes as she stood in the middle of the windswept plains. It was in this spot – this very spot – that she had used the Elements of Harmony, forcibly binding them to her soul, and sealed Luna – no, Nightmare Moon away. She had almost died in the process; the Elements of Harmony were not meant to be used by only one mage.

The Arch Mage looked up at the full moon, and the silhouetted face on its surface. She could hardly bear to look at the moon for too long; too many memories. "Steady, old girl," Celestia said to herself, raising her golden staff. She turned in a slow circle, her staff parallel to the ground. The eight-armed sun on the end of her staff gave off four flashes while Celestia circled, leaving behind a floating point of light each time. The four stars were slowly approaching Celestia, mirroring the stars approaching the moon. It wasn't a coincidence.

Celestia raised her staff above her head as the four stars began to pick up speed at her unspoken bidding. Her staff began to glow like the sun as the four stars in the sky vanished behind the moon, and the face on the moon began to fade away. Celestia took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Let's begin," She said, and she struck the earth with the butt of her staff. Golden lines of light emerged from her staff, and they began to spread and split, drawing an enormous spell circle around Celestia. It was her own design. Every rune, every angle, every last part of the circle was crafted over the past thousand years for one purpose: purification.

The face on the moon disappeared, and there was a bright flash of multicolored light. When it faded, an armored woman was standing in front of Celestia, and she wasted no time lunging at the Arch Mage with a double-bladed spear.

Celestia's spell circle roared to life. Dozens of golden chains sprang from the ground, wrapping around the armored woman and stopping the spear only inches from Celestia's face. Celestia's eyes began to blaze as she fed more and more magic into the spell circle. The golden chains began to glow white-hot, and the woman trapped inside them screamed as the chains seared her.

Behind Celestia, and far above her, a dark storm cloud approached the plains, moving against the wind. A ship made out of rotten wood emerged from its cloudy camouflage, crewed by sailors just as rotten and decayed as the ship. A single word was painted on the prow of the ship, next to the skeletal figurehead: _Hades._

The _Hades_ , silent as death, flew past the Alicorn, going as close as they dared to the center of the magical maelstrom that was Celestia. The Grand Master of the Shadow Blades was standing on the prow, eyes fixed on Celestia. "Darkness, guide my hand," He said, and he jumped.

The shadows seemed to reach up from the ground to cushion his fall, and the Grand Master landed without losing speed, running straight for Celestia with a sword in his hand. The grass didn't even rustle as he moved through it.

"Give me back my sister!" Celestia yelled at the woman chained in front of her. The woman's screaming became mixed with laughter.

"I _am_ thy sister!" She shrieked, her pale, sharp face twisted in pain and anger.

"Liar!" Celestia screamed, pouring more magic into her spell. The woman screamed even louder, and cracks began to form on her skin, letting out a bright light. It was working, Celestia realized. Her spell was working. Just a few more minutes of this, and…

…Oh.

Celestia's staff fell from her hands as she looked down at her chest. There was a sword sticking out of it. Celestia looked over her shoulder at the dark-clothed man responsible for stabbing her in the back.

"What have you _done?"_ She said breathlessly as her spell circle, and the chains it had conjured, vanished slowly. The man said nothing, only planting his foot in the small of her back and pulling his sword free. Celestia fell to her hands and knees as blood began to seep out of her chest. She didn't notice it. She was too busy noticing the black metal greaves in front of her. With what remained of her strength, she lifted her head, and stared into the azure, predatory eyes of the thing that called itself her sister. Celestia felt herself start to cry when she saw the cracks on the woman's porcelain skin seal shut as the woman smiled down at her darkly.

"Good evening, dear sister," Nightmare Moon said, and she kicked Celestia in the face, knocking her to the ground. Celestia could feel the warm blood on her face, and the cold metal as Nightmare Moon pressed a foot to her throat. "Whatever is the matter? Will thou not say hello?"

Celestia said nothing, too busy trying to gasp for breath. Nightmare Moon clicked her tongue disapprovingly, and looked at the man dressed in black.

"Thou hast done well, Shadow Blade," She said. The Shadow Blade pumped a fist in the air above his head.

"Long live the Queen!" He shouted.

"Long live the Queen!" Chrysalis cheered from the Hades, and the Undead manning the ship gave an appreciative moan.

Nightmare Moon looked down at her feet as the ground began to rumble. Two-dozen werewolves leapt out of newly-formed holes, making a wide circle around Nightmare Moon. The werewolves howled at the Queen of the Moon, adding their voices to the cheering in their own way.

"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!" Iron Will, up on the Hades, bellowed, his voice drowning out all the others.

"Whatever. Long live the Queen," Nightshade said in a bored voice from her perch in the crow's nest.

"Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"

Nightmare Moon raised a hand, and the chanting instantly stopped. She looked down at Celestia, who was struggling to get Nightmare Moon's foot off her throat. Nightmare Moon pushed down even harder, a vicious grin on her face. "Oh, thou know but an inkling of how long We have waited for this day, sister," She said. "Didst thou actually believe thou was the only one capable of creating a plan?" Celestia gasped like a fish out of water, trying to get air into her lungs. "How doth it feel, having a thousand years of waiting and planning end in failure? And the only one to blame... is thou."

Nightmare Moon looked at the Alicorn out of the corner of her eye. "Tell me... is the crew still aboard?" She asked. Celestia's eyes widened in fear.

"No... don't...!" She begged. Nightmare Moon smirked, and she gestured up to the _Hades_.

"Destroy it," She ordered.

Celestia's eyes widened, and she pushed against the foot on her throat with renewed energy. Nightmare Moon laughed at the futility of the attempt. "This is thy own fault, Celestia," She said as the Hades turned so her starboard side was facing the Alicorn. "If it was not for thy hubris, thy stupidity..." The cannons were being loaded. "...Then none of this would be happening."

The cannons gave a thunderous report as they fired, and their payload punched through the Alicorn's hull. For a few seconds, there was silence.

Then, the cannonballs detonated.

The Alicorn shook as the magical explosives went off in her belly, and the ship was blasted apart, the flaming debris floating down like feathers. Tears streaked down Celestia's face as she tried to scream with rage, and Nightmare Moon only laughed as she watched the wreckage.

"Thou hast failed, Celestia."

Nightmare Moon lifted her armored foot off Celestia's throat, but the Arch Mage didn't have time to draw in a breath before it came back down like a guillotine.

There was a disgusting snap, and then, nothing.

Magiville's town square was happily abuzz with activity as the townspeople gathered to await the celebration. There was a general atmosphere of good cheer in the air, despite the numerous people dashing around to put finishing touches on the preparations. Twilight Sparkle did not run, but walked through the crowds without a care in the world and a checklist in her hands.

"Food…" Twilight looked over at the banquet tables, where Applejack and the rest of her family were setting out heaping platters of steaming food. "Check."

Twilight turned her eyes skyward and noticed Rainbow Dash hovering about, dispelling the last few clouds with arrows of wind magic. "Weather, almost done," Twilight said, crossing it off. "Took her long enough," She added under her breath.

There was a loud clatter. Twilight turned her head to look at the source. It was Fluttershy, fussing around with a fallen bird perch. A few songbirds were flying around her, chirping excitedly. "Music, good enough," Twilight decided, crossing it off.

"No, you colorblind nincompoop! I said light red, not pink!" Rarity's voice wafted over the crowd as she chastised one of her assistants. "There's a difference!"

"And the decorations are under control," Twilight said, crossing the final item off the list. "I think everything's ready." Twilight looked to the brightening eastern sky, and her eyes lit up as she saw the approaching silhouette of the Alicorn. She turned around and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"THE PRINCESS IS HERE!" She shouted to the crowd. Every pair of eyes in the town square turned to the east, as the Alicorn majestically sailed over Magiville, slowing to a halt above the town square. A silhouetted figure, disguised by the darkness, stood at the prow of the ship, wings of metal floating at her back, and her hair flowing through the air like water. It was undoubtedly Celestia. Fluttershy's birds began to sing the opening notes of the anthem, and the crowd bowed to Celestia.

"I guess I might have been wrong about Nightmare Moon," Twilight whispered to herself, bowing lower than any other member of the crowd. The crowd straightened as one, looking at Celestia eagerly, waiting for her to usher in the sunrise. Celestia raised her double-headed spear, wreathed in dark light. Twilight's pupils narrowed to pinpricks. The eastern horizon lost its red and orange hues, turning back to midnight blue as the sun retreated, and the moon rose to take its place.

The flawless, faceless moon.

 _a nightmare shall fall from the moon_

"No… no, no, no, no…" Twilight whispered.

 _and eternal night_

The silver light of the moon filled the town square, illuminating 'Celestia' and the 'Alicorn'. The 'Alicorn' was not the beautiful sky galleon Magiville had been expecting, but a filthy, derelict ship that had seen better days. It was the woman standing on the prow that had Magiville's attention, though. It was easy to mistake her for Celestia in the darkness; her hair behaved the same way, but that was where the similarities ended. This woman was wearing armor of dark steel that showed off far more skin than was absolutely necessary, and an angular blue helm framed her cold, sharp face.

 _shall be her boon_

"Subjects," Nightmare Moon said, her voice cold as ice. "Good evening."

Not a single person dared to move. They only stood and stared in terrified silence.

"Hey! Who the _hell_ are you?!"

Hundreds of pairs of eyes snapped upwards, looking in shock at the rainbow-haired woman floating above them.

"Well?" Rainbow Dash said impatiently. "Are you going to talk, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?"

Nightmare Moon smirked and chuckled lightly. "Is this how thou treat all visiting royalty? With threats of violence thou cannot hope to fulfill?" She asked. Then, the air around her turned a shimmering violet, and she disappeared. With a similar burst of light, she reappeared floating in front of Rainbow Dash, glaring down her nose at the Elementalist. "Or was thy mother too busy whoring herself to teach thee proper manners?"

"Congratulations. That was the worst yo mama joke I've ever heard," Rainbow Dash said, clapping sarcastically. "Now tell me where the real princess is."

"Doth this answer thy question?" Nightmare Moon, showing something golden to Rainbow Dash. "Or should We explain it to thee with words small enough for thee to comprehend?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide with recognition and fear. "That's – no way. That's gotta be a fake! There's no way the Princess could be…"

"We speak only the truth, foolish girl. Thy beloved Princess Celestia..." Nightmare Moon dropped the gold trinket. "...Is dead."

Celestia's gold tiara made a sharp ringing noise as it struck the ground at Twilight's feet. The Arcane Mage could only stare at it as she realized what it meant. It was, without a doubt, Celestia's tiara. The tiara she wore at all times. A dull feeling began to swell up from her stomach at the implications, filling every inch of her body with anger. Twilight's staff appeared in her hands, and she swung it with a roar, releasing a blast of magic straight upwards at Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon's eyes flickered downwards, and she vanished in a burst of violet light, narrowly avoiding Twilight's attack. With a flash, she appeared in front of Twilight, who gasped when she realized there was a very sharp-looking spear being pressed against her throat. The crowd wisely scattered at Nightmare Moon's sudden reappearance.

"Thou hast some nerve, daring to strike at Us," Nightmare Moon said, staring at Twilight with contempt. "Speak. What is thy name?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said, her voice wavering only slightly. "Arcane Mage, representative of the Royal Court, and apprentice to Princess Celestia."

Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow at that. "Apprentice? Quite an honor for one so young," She said. "Thou must be of a higher pedigree than the riff-raff of this town. Dost thou know who We are?"

"...Yes," Twilight said. "You're... Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare Moon blinked, bewildered. She sighed, and lowered her spear from Twilight's throat. "Clearly, Celestia's standards for apprentices hath fallen since the days of Starswirl," She remarked. "Let Us tell thee - all of thee - who We are."

Nightmare Moon's body dissolved into a dark, star-filled mist, and floated through the crowd, whispering in her voice as it coiled around members of the crowd.

"We are the Maiden of the Moon, the monarch who was eclipsed by the golden light of the sun," The mist said, snaking around Applejack. The Paladin swung her arms at it, but the mist only laughed at her efforts.

"The ruler wrongfully robbed of her throne when she dared to ask for the recognition she so deserved," The mist continued, passing through Fluttershy, who was obviously so terrified she couldn't even move.

"We are the shadow on the moon at night. We are the monster who frightens thy children to behave," The mist said, floating back up to the Hades, where it gathered back into human form. "Thou know Us as Nightmare Moon, but that is not Our name. We are…"

Smack.

Nightmare Moon blinked with the eye that had not been hit by a surprise projectile from the crowd. She pulled the offending item from her face, and stared at it. "…Did one of thou truly throw a pastry at Us?" She asked.

"It is not a pastry!" A single voice shouted from the front of the crowd. "It's a muffin!"

It was like a dam had been broken. Almost like a single entity, nearly every member of the crowd screamed, and let their magic fly at the Hades. Balls of fire, blasts of light, waves of sound; there must have been a hundred different types of spells that slammed into Nightmare Moon, throwing up a huge cloud of smoke. After a full minute of nonstop attacking, the spells finally stopped flying. The crowd held its breath, waiting to see what damage their attacks had done.

The smoke cleared.

Nightmare Moon was checking her reflection in the blade of her spear. She looked up when she realized the attacks had ended.

"Was that all?" She asked. At those words, the crowd of mages came to an unspoken consensus.

'Screw this, I'm out'.

"Absolutely pathetic," Nightmare Moon said, turning away from the sight of the fleeing crowds. She felt a slight pressure on her back as another spell hit her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Twilight Sparkle, still standing in the plaza as the rest of the crowd ran.

"Murderer!" Twilight screamed as she swung her staff, throwing more and more spells at Nightmare Moon. The magical orbs of light bounced off Nightmare Moon's armor harmlessly.

"Shall I kill her, Your Majesty?" The Grand Master asked, stepping out of the shadows. Nightmare Moon shook her head.

"Nay. She poses no threat to Us," She said. "We have wasted enough time here. Take Us to Our old palace posthaste."

"Yes, Your Majesty," The Grand Master said, stepping back into the shadows and vanishing. Nightmare Moon looked one last time at Twilight Sparkle, still throwing spells.

"Give up, lowly apprentice," Nightmare Moon said, pointing at Twilight with a single finger. With a brisk motion of her hand, Twilight was sent flying by an unseen force. She landed in a heap, her vision ringed with black and the wind knocked out of her lungs. She gasped for breath, desperately trying to fill her lungs with air. She lifted her head, her vision swimming, and saw the _Hades_ in motion, flying towards the Everfree Forest. Five familiar people surrounded Twilight, crouching down next to her.

"Twilight, you okay?" The easily recognizable voice of Rainbow Dash asked.

"Fine… I don't have time to… lie down," Twilight grunted, standing up with the assistance of her staff. She stumbled a bit, and was caught by Applejack.

"Easy there, partner," The Paladin said. "You took quite a beatin' from that tumble."

"It's nothing. Just a little bruising," Twilight said, pushing Applejack away and shuffling off in the direction of the receding Hades. "I have to… avenge the Princess. Have to stop… Nightmare Moon." She swung her staff with as much strength as she could muster, but in her addled state, she could only create a small spark that died out after only a few seconds.

"What exactly are you trying to accomplish, Twilight?" Rarity asked, laying a hand on Twilight's shoulder.

"I have to stop Nightmare Moon… before she can…" Twilight scanned the skies for the Hades. It was nowhere in sight. Twilight growled in anger. "I have to stop her. I told the Princess, I told her…"

"Are you nuts?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Were you not paying attention when literally the entire town couldn't even scratch her?!"

"She murdered the Princess!" Twilight yelled, thrusting Celestia's crown in Rainbow Dash's face. "If I don't at least try to stop Nightmare Moon, then Mystica will… Pinkie, get off!"

"Nuh-uh!" Pinkie said, her arms wrapped around Twilight's midsection. "It really, really looks like you need a hug!"

"I need you to get off!" Twilight said, wriggling out of Pinkie's grip. "By the Goddess, you are so naïve! This is not a problem that can be solved by a hug!"

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but it's not really a problem that can be solved by charging in without thinking. I mean, that's what I think. It might actually be a problem that can't be solved at all," Fluttershy spoke up, reminding the others that, yes, she was there. Twilight took a deep breath, and her shoulders slumped.

"You know what, Fluttershy? You're right," Twilight said. "I need a plan."

"Hold on, where in the sam hell do you think you're goin'?" Applejack asked as Twilight turned on her heel and ran off.

"None of your business! I have to stop Nightmare Moon!" Twilight shouted back.

"Do you think we should… follow her? Before she does something stupid?" Rarity suggested. The others murmured their agreement.

Spike was dreaming about Rarity lying in a bed of gemstones and gold when the door slammed open and he was rudely awoken. He blinked blearily as he picked his head up from his basket, and saw Twilight pulling books from the shelves, flipping through them, and then throwing them aside.

 _'Twilight? What're you doing?'_ Spike asked, lazily crawling out of his basket.

"No time to explain, Spike," Twilight said, tossing another book over her shoulder. "I have to hurry. Every second I waste is a second I could have spent researching."

 _'Researching? For what?'_ Spike asked, glancing out the window. He wasn't bothered by the fact that it was the middle of the night – he had no idea what time it was – but then he looked at a clock hanging on the wall. _'…Why isn't the sun up? Is the Princess late or something? Ow, hey!'_ Spike rubbed the spot on his head where a book hat struck him.

"The Princess is dead, Spike," Twilight said, moving on to a different bookshelf. "Nightmare Moon is real, and she killed the Princess."

 _'WHAT?!'_ Spike shouted in disbelief. _'The Princess can't be dead! She's the Arch Mage! The Keeper of the Sun and Moon! The Queen of Phoe-'_

"She's dead, Spike!" Twilight yelled, turning on her familiar in a rage. Spike cowered at the rage in his master's eyes, but his stance changed when Twilight's eyes began to soften. "She's… she's dead, and it's all my fault."

'What? Twilight, it… it wasn't your fault! How can you possibly think that?' Spike asked. Twilight brushed her eyes with her sleeve, dispelling the beginnings of a few tears.

"Because I couldn't… couldn't convince her that Nightmare Moon was a threat, and I didn't try to argue when she said that it was just a fairy tale," Twilight said, her voice cracking. "If I had been more persuasive, if I had done more research, maybe she wouldn't be… be…" Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose and bit her lower lip as she slumped against the bookshelf and slid down it to sit on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. Spike scampered over to her, prepared to offer any sort of comfort to his master, who was trying to fight back tears. The front door opened again, less forcefully this time, to show the five mages Twilight had met that day, with Applejack at the front.

"Twilight, are you…" Applejack began to ask, but stopped when she noticed Twilight's current position. Twilight looked up at them, trying to look strong despite the tears gathering in her eyes.

"Wha-what do you want?" She blubbered. "Gu-go away. I don't… don't want to… snfff… see you."

"We're here to help, Twilight," Rarity said, ducking under Applejack's arm to step into the library.

"I don't need your help. I don't want your help. I never asked for your help! Leave me alone!" Twilight demanded, picking up a book and throwing it at Rarity. The book was caught in a light blue aura of magic before it could hit Rarity, and was directed down to the ground.

"Friends don't need t' ask friends for help," Applejack said, crossing her arms.

"I'm not… friends with any of you," Twilight said, standing up with Spike on her shoulder. She started to count on her fingers. "One of you forced me to meet her insane family, one of you almost killed me, one of you wouldn't shut up, one of you practically kidnapped me, and one of you broke into where I was staying and tried to shoot me with a cannon. If that's what counts for friendship in this backwater town, then I'm not interested."

"Oh, for the love o' the Goddess," Applejack grumbled, stepping out of the doorway. "Come here, you big knucklehead."

Much to Twilight's surprise, Applejack stepped up to Twilight, grabbed her by the back of the head, and pulled her into a firm hug, taking care not to slam Twilight's head against her breastplate. Twilight tried to struggle against her for a moment, but Applejack's grip on her only got stronger. Then, Pinkie Pie hopped over and joined in on the hug, followed by Rarity, then Fluttershy, then a grumbling Rainbow Dash.

Twilight felt the warmth of five bodies being pressed against her, but for some reason that she couldn't explain, she felt… more. Her entire body felt warm, inside and out. Her muscles began to relax, and she soon couldn't see anything through the tears gathering in her eyes.

She couldn't remember a time in her life when she felt what she was feeling while she was being embraced by these five strangers. She had only met them the day before, but here they were, trying to comfort her in her time of need. She couldn't take it any longer. With a pitiable whimper, Twilight began to sob.

"I'm… so scared," She admitted between tears. Applejack stroked the back of her head.

"Shh. Don't worry. We're all scared," She said quietly. "It's nothin' t' be ashamed of."

 _'Twilight… I am being… crushed… by Rarity…'_ Spike grunted in Twilight's mind. _'Don't… save me… this is how I want to…'_ There was a low grumble from somewhere between Twilight and Rarity, slowly increasing in volume. Twilight's eyes shot open.

"Off," She said suddenly. "Off! Everybody _off_!"

"Just enjoy it, Twilight! I told you hugs solve everything!" Pinkie Pie said. Twilight continued to struggle.

"That's not what I meant!" She said, finally creating enough room for herself to grab Spike. The young dragon's stomach was quivering, and Twilight broke out into a massive smile when she saw it.

"She's alive!" She squealed, pointing Spike at the ceiling and squeezing his belly. Spike opened his mouth and let out a massive belch, accompanied by a burst of green flame. The hug around Twilight broke up as the huggers jumped back from the sudden fire. When the burp ended, Twilight almost threw Spike away in her eagerness to grab the scroll that fell out of the fire. She quickly turned it over to look at the wax seal, and what she saw made her start laughing and hugging the scroll to herself. "She's alive! She's alive!"

"What on earth are you talking about? Who's alive? Where did that scroll come from?" Rarity, the first to recover, asked.

"It's a letter from the Princess! She cast a spell on Spike that would let us send letters back and forth instantaneously! And look!" Twilight said, shoving the scroll in Rarity's face. "That's her seal! There's no doubt about it! She's still alive!"

Twilight tore the seal off the scroll like a child on Hearth's Warming, unrolling the scroll and reading its contents with a huge grin on her face.

As she read, her grin faded. The scroll fell from her shaking hands. "No. No, it's not possible. She can't…" Twilight uttered, all traces of glee gone from her face. Rarity scooped up the scroll.

"May I…?" She asked, pointing at the scroll. Twilight, curled up into a ball, nodded. Rarity looked at the scroll and began to read aloud.

"'My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle'," She read, "'If you are receiving this message, then I am… then I am dead, and Nightmare Moon has returned. I am ashamed to say that…

 _…I have not been entirely truthful with you. But I assure you, the lies that I told you were for your own protection. Yes, I knew that Nightmare Moon was going to return. I was responsible for banishing her, and it has always been my deepest regret. I had to cover up all traces that she was real, and turned her into little more than a fairy tale. Banishing her was my choice alone, and I hoped that I would be able to correct it without any assistance. Unfortunately, since you are reading this, I must have been incorrect._

 _I do not know what went wrong. Perhaps I was betrayed. Perhaps the spell I had been preparing to defeat her failed. That is not important. What is important is that_ _you_ _are still alive, Twilight. You are Mystica's only hope to defeat Nightmare Moon. You must use the same magic I used to banish Nightmare Moon and_ _destroy_ _her._

…Please apologize to Spike for me. This is probably going to hurt.' What does that mean?" Rarity wondered, lowering the scroll to look at Spike. Spike shrugged, then his stomach began to rumble.

"Ooh! I wanna do it! I wanna do it!" Pinkie Pie said, grabbing Spike off Twilight's shoulder and squeezing him. Spike's eyes bugged out of his head as he belched out a stream of fire ten times larger than the flames from earlier. The fire continued for almost ten seconds before petering out, leaving a large, ornate chest on the floor of the library.

 _'The… pain…'_ Spike groaned. He burped out another burst of flame, depositing a second scroll. _'I'm… going to faint now.'_ Spike's head fell forward, and he started to snore. Fluttershy took Spike from Pinkie, cradling him like a child.

"Oh, you poor thing," She said. Rainbow Dash looked over the chest from Spike's first belch.

"What's this thing? There aren't even any hinges!" She noted, giving the chest a good kick. Rarity picked up the second scroll.

"Have patience, Rainbow," She said, clearing her throat to begin reading. "'This chest contains the greatest magical weapons in all of Mystica…

 _…Five of the Elements of Harmony. Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, and Generosity. They are the tools that I used to banish Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago, and the only thing that she fears. Twilight, you and the five mages you met today – yes, five, I know about Pinkie Pie – must bear all of the Elements and defeat Nightmare Moon. I know you have viewed having friends as a waste of time, but you must place your faith in them. They will help you on your mission, and it is through them that you will discover the final Element, the one that brings them together: the Element of Magic._

 _Regretfully, the last Element of Magic was destroyed when I sealed away Nightmare Moon, and the other Elements became dormant. The Elements will be awoken when they are given to their proper Bearer, and the chest - I know, no hinges - will open when you finally understand the lesson I have been trying to teach you all these years. Once that happens, the Element of Magic will finally be ready to return to the world._

 _Your destination is my old palace, in the Everfree Forest. Nightmare Moon is certain to go there to find the Elements, but little does she know that I moved them, and that I left behind something of a parting gift. My only regret is that I will not be able to see the look on her face when she realizes that I have pulled a fast one over her. Well, I also regret that I died, but that's different._

 _Anyway, my trap will give you a few hours. Travel directly south through the Everfree – the palace should be hard to miss. Nightmare Moon will most likely be in the Chamber of the Elements, and finding your way there through the palace should not be difficult for you, Twilight. The old palace shares almost the exact same layout as my palace in Camelot, so just follow the path you would take to get from the front gates to my study. You'll find the Chamber of the Elements there._

 _Leave immediately. Don't stop for anything. I do not know what dangers you will face on the way, but I have utmost faith in your abilities, Twilight. I wish you the best of luck._

 _Your teacher, who is proud to have called you her student,_

 _Celestia_

"…And that's all she wrote," Rarity said, setting the scroll aside. The six mages were silent, still trying to process the new information.

"Hold on. Let me get this straight," Rainbow Dash, now sitting on top of the chest, said. "Princess Celestia is giving us a weapon that can defeat Nightmare Moon, but it's missing a piece and she didn't tell us where to find it. Am I the only one noticing how stupid this plan is?"

"If you have a better idea, we're all ears," Twilight said, standing up and wiping her eyes. "All right, since apparently you five are integral to this plan, let's get going. We don't have any time to lose."

"You feelin' better?" Applejack asked. Twilight shook her head.

"Not at all. But I don't have time to cry. Princess Celestia has given me a mission, and I intend to do it. I'm no use to Mystica if I can't stop crying," Twilight said. She clapped her hands together. "Now, first things first…"

Her Tome materialized in her hands, and she set a hand on the chest allegedly containing the Elements. It vanished, reappearing as an illustration in the Tome. Rainbow Dash yelped and crashed to the ground, glaring at Twilight. Twilight ignored her and clapped her Tome shut, making it vanish.

"Now, what's the fastest path through the Everfree?" Twilight asked.

"Around it," Applejack said bluntly. "Nobody ever goes int' the Everfree Forest."

"And nobody ever, ever comes out!" Rainbow Dash added.

"There's big, _spooooky_ monsters in there! Hydrates and Mandarins and Cockadoodledoos…" Pinkie Pie started listing off.

"Um, I think you mean Hydras, Manticores, and Cockatrices, Pinkie," Fluttershy corrected her. "And that's just the fauna. Even the flora in the Everfree is dangerous, and not even Druids can influence them. It's impossible to get into the forest because there's so many Whomping Willows around the edges, and if you get past them without being smashed into a quivering, unrecognizable pulp, you have to deal with leechvines, and if you get past them without having your body sucked completely dry and left to rot, you have to deal with mandrakes, and if you can get past them without waking them up, you have to deal with…" Rarity put a hand over Fluttershy's mouth.

"The point is, there's no way to get into the forest. And for good reason," Rarity said. "If we want to get to the old palace, we'd have to be able to fly, and unless you have a skyboat in that Tome of yours…"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash both grinned. Twilight smirked.

"Let's go outside real quick."

"Oh," Rarity said. "You do have a skyboat in your Tome. Of course."

"Shotgun! You all heard it! I call shotgun!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, backflipping into the _Charon_. "Ooh, wait! I take it back! Twilight, can I fly it? Please? Pleeaaase?"

"No," Twilight said without a moment's hesitation.

"It's hardly a first-class yacht, but I suppose it will have to do. Applejack, would you please give me a lift up?" Rarity asked.

"Why, certainly," Applejack said, smirking. She grabbed Rarity under the arms. Rarity's eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen.

"This isn't what I…"

"Heave-ho!" Applejack grunted, tossing Rarity into the Charon. Rarity glared at Applejack as the Paladin easily climbed into the boat.

"I could have bruised, you ruffian," She said.

"That's Paladin, thank you very much," Applejack said, offering Twilight a hand.

"Um, are we all going to be able to fit?" Fluttershy wondered, staring at the Charon uneasily. "I mean, it looks like it can only fit five people, so that means that… that one of us would have to stay behind. And, um, I volunteer."

"Nice try, 'Shy," Rainbow Dash said, hovering a bit off the ground. "I can fly, remember? There's enough room in the boat for you."

"But don't you think you should be, um, saving your energy?" Fluttershy suggested.

"Fluttershy, just get in the boat," Rainbow said, pointing at the boat sternly. Fluttershy sighed.

"I _hate_ flying," She mumbled as she climbed into the boat. "Twilight, you're a good pilot, right? Have you ever, um, crashed?"

"I'm a _great_ pilot," Twilight said.

"…But have you ever crashed?" Fluttershy repeated her question.

"Do you _really_ want me to answer that question?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy thought about this for a moment, then shook her head.

"Good," Twilight said, grabbing the tiller and feeding magic into it. The Charon's sail swelled, and it took off, Rainbow Dash in pursuit.

"Uh, Twilight? The Everfree Forest is that way."

"I knew that, Pinkie."

"Then why were we flying…"

 _"I knew that, Pinkie."_

The _Hades_ slowed to a halt above the ruined towers of the old palace, set in the middle of the only part of the Everfree Forest that wasn't covered in trees. The animals of the Everfree knew not to come here. Nightmare Moon floated down from the Hades, touching down in front of the crumbling walls around the palace. She stood in front of the heavy gates, as if contemplating her next actions.

"Knock knock," She said, clenching her fist and punching the air in front of her. A massive fist formed from the shadows behind her, copying her actions and striking the stone gate. It withstood one strike, but a second made it crumble.

"Home, sweet home," Nightmare Moon said, walking through the empty arch. "A pity this place hath fallen into disrepair. I quite liked it."

Nightmare Moon followed a familiar path through the ruined castle. Through the overgrown courtyard settled between the castle walls and the castle itself, through the once-elegant front hall, and through the dark corridors until she finally reached the massive stone doors that led to the Chamber of the Elements. Nightmare Moon brushed the doors, feeling the magic that had sealed the Chamber shut for hundreds of years. With only minimal effort, the magic came undone, and the doors swung open. Nightmare Moon smiled as she stepped into the Chamber.

"How foolish, Celestia," She laughed as she looked at the branching pedestal in the center of the room, and the five stone orbs it carried. "The most powerful magical force in existence… and thou left it here to rot." She continued to chuckle as she lifted the five stones in her magical grip, orbiting them around her as she inspected them.

"The only thing that can defeat me," She mused. She raised a hand above her head, grinning triumphantly. With a yell, she brought her hand down, making the five Elements smash into the stone floor and break into useless shards. Nightmare Moon began to laugh.

"NOW, WE ARE INVINCIBLE!" She cackled. She didn't notice the golden mist seeping out of the shards of stone until it was too late. Her laughter died away as the mist began to gather into a glowing human form.

"Did you REALLY think I was that dumb?" The golden human asked in a familiar voice. Nightmare Moon growled, her teeth bared.

"Celestia," She snarled. The glowing image of Celestia seemed to smirk.

"Gotcha."

Quick as lightning, the golden mist surrounded Nightmare Moon, encasing her in a swirling shroud. Nightmare Moon screamed, and swung her arms madly to try and stave off the mist, but it was futile. She had been caught in Celestia's trap.

In moments, the mist faded, leaving behind the sound of Celestia's mischievous laughter. Nightmare Moon brought a hand to her head. She was physically unharmed, but she had easily recognized the spell that had been cast on her.

"Shadow Blade… Shadow Blade!" She screamed. "Come! Now!"

The Grand Master of the Shadow Blades stepped out of the shadows as if he had been there the entire time. "Yes, my Queen? What would you have me…" He stopped talking as soon as he noticed that Nightmare Moon was starting to sway in place, and seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open. He was at her side the second she lost her footing, catching her and gently lowering her to a sitting position against the pedestal that had held the Elements.

"That magnificent… witch! Even from beyond the grave, she finds ways to irritate me!" Nightmare Moon growled sleepily.

"My Queen, what happened? Are you hurt?" The Grand Master asked worriedly. Nightmare Moon shook her head.

"I am… fine. She knew… I would come here. She replaced the Elements with fakes, set a trap on them… A sleep spell. I cannot fight it much longer," Nightmare Moon said, her eyes fluttering. "She moved the Elements… Must have found new Bearers in case of her demise… but who…" Nightmare Moon's eyes widened slightly as realization struck her. "The apprentice. Of course. Blade, have Our army… search the forest for her. She will be coming here... Stop her. Kill her."

"What of Camelot?" The Grand Master asked.

"Forget about Camelot. Find the apprentice. She is the only… threat to my rule. When I wake up… I want… the first thing I see… to be her… bleeding… decapitated… head…" Her own head fell forward, and she began to snore softly. The Grand Master stayed at her side for a few moments before stepping into the shadow of the pedestal and slipping through it as if it was water.

The Grand Master stepped out of the shadows in the front hall of the castle. The Necromancer had settled into a dark corner, surrounded by a number of her Undead servants. Nightshade was perched in an empty window up above, obviously sleeping. Iron Will was in the process of strangling the Alpha Diamond Dog, while the werewolf's two flunkies were trying in vain to stop him. When Iron Will noticed the Grand Master's presence, he quickly let go of Roh-Ver's throat and put his hands behind his back innocently. The werewolf glared at him menacingly as he rubbed his throat.

"Are we to go to Camelot now, Master? IRON WILL!" The mercenary flexed his muscles, "Is prepared to lay down the hurt!"

"We are not going to Camelot right now. Queen's orders," The Grand Master said. "The Queen suspects that the apprentice from Magiville will be making her way here, and she wants us to stop her."

"She would send all of us to defeat one mage?" The Necromancer hissed, stroking one of her Undead minions as if it was a cat. "Foolish. I shall take my Undead and find her myself."

"Now isn't the time for hubris, Chrysalis," The Grand Master said as Chrysalis stood up with the assistance of her Undead.

"It is not hubris; it is confidence," Chrysalis said, smirking. "I have been killing mages in this forest since your father was a child. I will be more than enough."

"...Fine," The Grand Master said, thinking to himself that it would be very satisfying to tell the Queen that Chrysalis had failed because of her ego. "Find her, and kill her. Ensure that she stays dead."

Chrysalis laughed. "You're no fun at all."

Celestia's body lay in the middle of the Starfall Plains, her hair rustling in the wind alongside the grass. Her heart was still, her skin was cool, and her neck was bent at an unnatural angle. She was dead.

A single bird alighted on her shoulder, bathing her in a warm orange glow. The beautiful red bird nudged Celestia's cheek with its beak, but there was no response. The bird seemed to shake its head and sigh mournfully. It knew what had to be done.

The bird spread its wings and turned its beak to the sky, letting out a piercing cry. Its body began to glow like a hot coal, and tongues of flame began to spread over it and Celestia's body.

In moments, bird and mage were both gone, leaving behind nothing but ashes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch. 8: Undead on the March**

The _Charon_ and Rainbow Dash flew silently over the trees of the Everfree Forest. Twilight was, of course, manning the tiller, providing the Charon with the magical power it needed to move, Applejack was using a whetstone on her greatsword, Rarity was looking over the edge of the boat nervously, convinced that she had seen the trees reach up to try and grab them, Fluttershy was hugging the mast as if it was a friend she hadn't seen in years, and Pinkie Pie was…

"Are we there yet?"

"No," Twilight said, her eye twitching.

"When are we gonna be there?"

"When we get there."

"When are we gonna get there?"

"When you stop bugging me."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie said, closing an imaginary zipper on her mouth. For a few minutes, there was blissful silence.

"Are we there yet?"

The imaginary zipper on Pinkie's mouth became a lot less imaginary.

" _Thank_ you, Twilight," Applejack said, peering at the blade of her sword.

"No problem," Twilight said. Pinkie tried to say something, but her voice was too muffled by the zipper. Rarity picked her head up, glancing around as if she was looking for something.

"Does anybody hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?" Twilight asked. Rarity shrugged.

"I'm not sure. It sounds like…"

A rotting skyboat burst out of the clouds nearby, her three decaying sails filled with wind. The figurehead was a skeleton with crossed arms that didn't look like it was made of wood. The name painted on the hull was visible even through the darkness: _Hades_.

"…A boat," Rarity said in a tiny voice.

"Everybody, hold on!" Twilight said, noticing that the sailors were loading the cannons. It was too late. There was a loud boom as one of the cannons fired, and its aim was true. A heavy cannonball landed in the Charon. The five mages stared at it for a second as it started to glow like an ember.

The cannonball wasn't supposed to punch a hole in the boat. It was supposed to explode. Twilight threw a shield around the cannonball, hoping to deaden the explosion. Twilight's shield was able to absorb most of the blast, but it wasn't enough to save the Charon. The skyboat was destroyed, and the blast threw the five passengers away.

Chrysalis grumbled as she looked over the side of the Hades. "Curses. They survived," She concluded, not being able to smell the death of her target. She turned to address the Undead gathered behind her. "Get down there. And bring me back her corpse."

"Hey, lady."

Chrysalis turned her head to see a crackling yellow arrow pointed at her face, held by a rainbow-haired Elementalist. "Surprise," Rainbow Dash said. The lightning bolt flew from her bow, and passed clean through Chrysalis's skull. The Necromancer wasn't even staggered, despite the brand new hole.

"I've always hated surprises," She told the shocked Elementalist.

"What… what the hell are you?" The Elementalist asked, her fingers quivering.

"Slightly irritated," Chrysalis answered. "And now I have a headache." An Undead armed with a warhammer swung at the Elementalist, but Rainbow Dash avoided it and flew away, vanishing into the trees. Chrysalis groaned, and felt at the hole in her forehead.

"Blagh, it's going to take me _forever_ to grow back that brain matter," She mumbled. "Oh, whatever. Go down there, kill her, yadda yadda. I'm going back to the castle."

The Undead moaned, and shuffled forwards to drop themselves off the Hades. After a few dozen Undead had been deployed, the Hades sailed off.

"C'mon, Twilight! Wake up! Wake up!" was the first thing that Twilight heard. She moaned, and tried to open her eyes. She was met with the sight of something she never thought she would see in the middle of the Everfree Forest.

"Ooh… a _rainbow…"_ She said woozily, a dopey grin on her face.

"Twilight, snap out of it! We've gotta move!"

"Where's the pot of gold?" Twilight wondered, looking around. The rainbow slapped her.

"Unless you want to be corpse chow, wake up!" The rainbow snapped at her. Twilight blinked, and her vision started to sharpen. The 'rainbow' was Rainbow Dash's hair.

"…Dash? What… _ow…_ what happened?" She asked, her head throbbing.

"You guys got shot out of the sky by that freaky bitch," Rainbow Dash said, pulling Twilight to her feet and supporting her.

"Freaky… bitch? What… corpse chow?" Twilight repeated.

"Don't panic, but… I think Nightmare Moon has a pet Necromancer," Rainbow Dash said.

"What?!" Twilight shouted. "But… that's not possible! Necromancy died off almost fifty…"

She was interrupted by a loud moan. A grey-skinned, rotting man in armor shuffled out of the trees, dead eyes fixed on Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

"…years ago," Twilight finished.

"Run?" Rainbow Dash suggested. The Undead opened its jaws and let out a piercing, animalistic howl. It was answered by other identical howls, and Twilight began to hear motion in the trees all around them.

"Run!" Twilight agreed. They escaped into the trees just as more Undead appeared to answer their kin's call.

"My hair! Oh, my glorious, beautiful, hair! I'll never get these little branches out of it! Never!" The woman tangled up in vines well above the forest floor sobbed. "Out of all the things that could have happened, this is THE…" She took a few deep breaths. "Calm down, Rarity. Calm down. It's not the end of the world, things could be much, much _OH GODDESS MY DRESS IS RUINED THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING!"_

"Hey, Rarity! Is that you up there?" A familiar voice called up. Rarity stopped struggling, and tried to turn her head so she could look down at the ground.

"Pinkie? Is that you?" She asked.

"The one and only! Need a hand?"

"NOOO! DON'T LOOK AT ME! I'M HIDEOUS!" Rarity wailed. "JUST LEAVE ME HERE TO _DIE!"_

"You're being a drama queen, Rarity!" Pinkie shouted up as she flicked a deck of playing cards out of her sleeve.

"I am _not_ a drama queen! I am a-" Pinkie rolled her eyes mockingly, and threw a few cards from her deck like they were knives. The cards sliced through the vines holding Rarity captive, sending her tumbling and screaming to the ground. Rarity lay there in silence for a few moments, her eye twitching.

"Pinkie Pie, one of these days, you will wake up to find that I have turned all your clothes _plaid_ ," She threatened as she stood up and dusted herself off, trying to readjust her hair.

"Great! I've been thinking about changing my image!" Pinkie said obliviously. Rarity groaned.

"You are simply _impossible_ ," Rarity said.

"Not the first time I've heard that," Pinkie said. "Now we'd better get moving. Otherwise the zombies might catch us!"

"…Zombies?" Rarity repeated as Pinkie Pie skipped past her. "What zombies?"

"Those zombies!" Pinkie said, pointing at an Undead as it stumbled into view. Rarity stared at it for a second before she remembered that she should start screaming. The Undead returned the scream with a frightful moan, and Rarity started running after Pinkie Pie as fast as she could wearing heels.

It was a testament to Fluttershy's arm strength that she was still clinging to the mast after the explosion.

It was a further testament that she hadn't been knocked unconscious when the mast, Fluttershy attached, was planted in the forest floor like a tree.

It was also a testament to her self-preservation instincts that she hadn't fainted when she found herself surrounded by Undead.

Which was why she was stuck at the top of the mast while a dozen Undead were gathered around her, staring up as if they were daring her to climb down.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness," was what Fluttershy's mouth was saying, but her mind was following a different track. It went something like this:

 _'Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh_ _ **fuck**_ _oh shit.'_

She was defenseless. No animals nearby to help her, no way to control the plant life without using her staff, which she couldn't use while holding onto the mast, and there was no way to run. Fluttershy felt she could empathize with Opalescence after she had been chased up a tree by Winona. Except in this case, there were zombies involved.

"Um, excuse me, but if you don't mind me saying, I think that eating me wouldn't really be worth your time. I-I mean, I'm m-mostly skin and bones! N-no meat at all! So, if you could, um, l-let me go, that would be…"

"YEE-HAW!"

 _"OhthanktheGoddess."_

Applejack tore into sight like a force of nature, swinging her sword in expert motions as she leapt at the Undead surrounding Fluttershy. The Undead didn't even have time to react before the Paladin was upon them, slicing through them as if they were made of butter. The Undead burst into clouds of dust after being cut, cloaking Applejack's movements. In moments, they were all gone.

"May the Goddess judge you fairly," Applejack intoned as she returned her sword to her back. She looked up at Fluttershy. "You doin' okay there?"

"Oh, yes, much better, now that you're here," Fluttershy said, shimmying down the mast. "Applejack, you're hurt!"

"What, this?" Applejack said, gesturing to the fresh blood on her arm. "It's nothin'. Jus' a scratch."

"But it could get infected if you ignore it!" Fluttershy scolded her. She applied pressure to the wound with her hands, and a warm, pink light emanated from her palms. When she took her hand away, the only sign that Applejack had been injured was the cut in her jacket. Applejack rolled her shoulder experimentally.

"That feels a heckuva lot better. Thanks," Applejack said. She glanced at her shoulder at the sound of a cracking branch in the trees around them. "Aw, by Blooregard. You gotta be kiddin' me."

The Undead howled, making Fluttershy jump behind Applejack for protection. Applejack cracked the bones in her neck as she pulled her greatsword off her back. "Do me a favor, 'Shy. We're 'bout t' have some company, an' I'd prefer it if you could lend me a hand by makin' sure they don't move around too much," She said. Fluttershy nodded shakily, and summoned her staff to her hands. At her bidding, the grass at the Undead's feet grew like wild, wrapping around its legs and anchoring it to the ground. Applejack cut it in half with ease.

"A-Applejack! There's… there's more!" Fluttershy squeaked as more Undead stumbled out of the darkness. Applejack only grinned.

"Good," She said.

The sounds of Undead screaming and metal cutting through metal rang through the forest, serving as a perfect beacon. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie found Applejack and Fluttershy just as the Paladin was finishing off the last of the Undead attacking her. Applejack nodded at them in greeting, panting for breath as she leaned on her sword.

"Why did I have the feeling that we'd find you in the middle of a fight, Applejack?" Rainbow Dash said teasingly, stepping away from Twilight so that Fluttershy could heal the Arcane Mage's ankle.

"Too tired… t' banter, Dash," Applejack said, panting. "Goddess, Granny ain't gonna let me hear the end o' this." She kicked up some of the dust left behind by the Undead. "All this time, we thought she was goin' senile, sayin' there were still Necromancers about. Looks like we were wrong."

"We can talk about that later. Right now, do you think you can keep fighting?" Twilight asked. Applejack stared at her.

"Please don't tell me."

There was a faint moan in the distance.

"They were chasin' you, weren't they?"

"Yeah," The four mages answered sheepishly. Applejack groaned.

"We're sorry, Applejack, but you know that…"

"Only Holy magic can permanently kill Undead. I know," Applejack said, finishing Twilight's sentence. "Trouble is, I don't think I've got the energy t' fight however many Undead were followin' you."

"Maybe we should run?" Fluttershy suggested. There was the sound of Undead moans coming from every direction around them. "Or maybe not."

"Well, we're dead," Rainbow Dash decided. Applejack shook her head.

"Not yet," She said. "There's still somethin' I can do, but… it's risky."

"How 'risky'?" Rarity asked, looking around nervously as the moans came closer and closer.

"Pretty damn risky," Applejack said. "It… might end up killin' all o' you as well as the Undead."

"So, we can either be eaten by zombies, or accidentally get killed by you," Rainbow Dash said. She sighed. "Looks like we don't have much choice."

"Wait, hold on a second," Twilight cut in. "How much of a risk does this pose to us? Percentage-wise, I mean. I don't think we should completely invest in a plan that has a chance of us dying even if we succeed."

"I jus' need ya t' trust me, Twilight," Applejack said, putting her sword on her back.

"You're asking us to gamble our lives here! There has to be some other way we can…" Applejack stepped forwards and put her hands on Twilight's shoulders, staring her straight in the eye.

"Twilight," She said, her voice deadly serious. "Trust me."

Twilight gulped at the look in the Paladin's eyes. At first glance, it looked like Applejack's eyes were saying "Trust me or you won't get out of this alive." But that wasn't right. There was a certain softness in her eyes, a softness that was saying "Please trust me. I will not let anything happen to you."

"…Alright," Twilight decided. Applejack smiled. "What do you need us to do?"

"That's the easy part," Applejack said. "Keep 'em off me." Twilight nodded.

"Girls, circle up!" She ordered. "I'm going to put up a barrier, but it'll be best if there's more people supporting it!" The five mages quickly followed Twilight's orders, forming a pentagon around Applejack, their backs to the center. Twilight jammed her staff into the ground next to Applejack, and magenta light began to fountain from it, forming a perfect bubble around the six mages. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all put their hands on the surface of the bubble, letting their magic mingle with Twilight's, fortifying the shield around them. Applejack knelt in the center, her hands together in prayer.

 _"O Goddess, who crafted this beautiful world with naught but pen an' paper…"_ Applejack intoned. Fluttershy squeaked.

"They're coming!" She announced as the Undead started to appear out of the darkness. There were dozens of them, walking slowly but purposefully towards them. Applejack's prayer never stopped.

 _"…You, who taught the first mages: Blossom the Brave, Bubbles the Bashful, an' Buttercup the Brash…"_

The Undead surrounded the shield, hammering it with their swords, axes, and hammers. Occasionally, a crack would appear in the shield, but they were quickly sealed up by the mage nearest to it.

 _"…Who communed with Saint Blooregard an' Saint Mac, an' led them t' found the First Church…"_

A thin film of sweat began to appear on Rainbow Dash's face, as she struggled to mend the cracks in her section of the barrier.

 _"You have taught us t' live by the virtues o' truth, fairness, an' compassion, an' we honor you by spreadin' your lessons t' those who would listen. It is with great humility that I ask…"_

Rainbow Dash growled as she forced more magic into the barrier, causing the spider web of cracks to fade away. She was perspiring heavily, and taking in shallow, rapid breaths.

 _"…that you allow the dead so rudely taken from their eternal rest t' return t' their slumber…"_

"I… can't… hold this… much longer!" Rainbow Dash grunted while the Undead continued to hammer at the shield.

"Just a bit more!" Twilight shouted.

 _"…an' strike back at the one who forced them t' return. T' this end, I invoke your name, an' pray that you see fit t' grant my request."_

Rainbow Dash screamed as the Undead finally managed to make a hole in her section of the barrier. They focused all their strength on that one tiny hole, and in seconds, the barrier had shattered.

Applejack opened her eyes, and they were burning with an impossibly bright light.

 _"IN FAUST'S NAME!"_ She screamed, her voice carrying for miles. _"I SEND Y'ALL BACK T' THE GRAVE!"_

She drew a sharp cross in the air in front of her, and spoke one last word.

 _"AMEN!"_

And then, there was only light. Pure, white light.

Twilight's eyes fluttered open, and she blinked rapidly to dispel the spots behind her eyes. "Is everybody okay?" She called out, sitting up and checking her surroundings. Not a single Undead in sight.

"I might have been temporarily blinded, but… I'm alright," Rarity said.

"Did it work? Are they gone?" Fluttershy asked, picking herself up off the ground.

"Looks like it," Rainbow Dash said.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Pinkie shrieked.

"Applejack?" Twilight asked after a moment of silence. The Paladin grunted in response.

"I told ya we'd be okay," She proudly said as she stood up. "Have I ever lied?"

"Not to my knowledge," Twilight said, grabbing Applejack's hand so she could be pulled to her feet. "But… let's never do that again."

"I can live with that," Applejack said, giving Twilight a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Now, that was probably all the Undead around here, so it should be safe t' keep movin'."

"Yeah, and since we lost the boat…" Twilight gestured at the Charon's mast, sticking out of the ground like a naked tree. "We're going to have to walk."

"Walking? Through all the dirt and the… mud?" Rarity asked, her face ashen.

"Got a better idea?" Rainbow Dash asked. Rarity sighed, defeated.

"No, I don't. Lead on, then."

"And you are certain they are dead?" The Grand Master asked, trying not to be too distracted by the hole in Chrysalis's forehead.

"My minions are hunting them down as we speak," Chrysalis said. "I am most certain that the Queen will be quite pleased with my success. Oh, but what will she say when she learns that her precious little assassin…" She pinched the Grand Master's cheek as if he was a child. "…Was of no use whatsoever?"

The Grand Master growled in annoyance while Chrysalis gloated. Suddenly, the Necromancer fell silent, and her eyes widened. She whirled around, and saw a pillar of light rising up from the forest in the distance.

"Oh, you must be joking," She said.

"Something wrong, Chrysalis?" The Grand Master asked, grinning widely. The Necromancer clenched her teeth.

"The apprentice… must have a Paladin with her," She deduced. "My Undead have been…" She grumbled something, not wanting to meet the Grand Master's eyes.

"Have been what? Defeated? Obliterated? Hung out to dry?" The Grand Master asked, his eyes twinkling under his hood. "Stop me when I get it. Vaporized? Annihilated? Whitewashed? Trounced?" The Grand Master paused, as if realizing something for the first time. "Trounced. Trounced. I think I quite like that word."

"Oh, shut up!" Chrysalis snapped, stomping past him to the castle. The Grand Master just laughed.

"I can't wait to hear what the Queen will say when she hears when her precious little Necromancer failed!" He shouted after her. She showed him a very rude gesture.

"The bag of bones failed, did she?" A growling voice said from the ground next to the Grand Master's foot. He looked down to see Roh-Ver sticking his head out of a hole.

"Do you want something, dog?" The Grand Master asked. Roh-Ver grunted.

"The Diamond Dogs are prepared to hunt down the apprentice. These are our woods, and it is time we showed them why," The werewolf said, a wolfish grin on his muzzle.

"Very well," The Grand Master said. "It's not like you can do any worse than… what did you call her? The bag of bones?"

"One day, I will gnaw on her shins."

"I wish you the best of luck with that. Happy hunting," The Grand Master said. Roh-Ver nodded, and disappeared down his hole.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch. 9: Werewolves on the Hunt**

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"For the hundredth time, Rarity, yes, I'm sure."

"Sorry, but… we've seen your sense of direction at work before, and…"

"Don't worry! Twilight's sense of direction is a lot better now that it wouldn't be funny if she got lost!" Pinkie said, hopping along next to Rarity on a pogo stick.

"Pinkie, what are you talking about?" Twilight asked, looking over her shoulder at the Trickster. Applejack shook her head.

"Don't worry 'bout it," She said. "It's jus' Pinkie bein' Pinkie."

"Duh! Who else would I be if I wasn't Pinkie? Would I be Not-Pinkie? Hmm, what's the opposite of pink? I wanna say ochre, but that's just cuz I like saying ochre. Ochre, ochre, och – mmph!"

"Shh!" Applejack hissed, her hand covering Pinkie's mouth. The procession came to a halt. "Does anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm not sure. But I don't think we're alone out here," Applejack said, grasping her sword and taking her hand off Pinkie's mouth. "Be on guard."

They continued at a slower pace, jumping at the smallest sounds. Soon enough, they began to hear movement in the trees around them, but they were never fast enough to catch a glimpse of it.

"I think we're surrounded," Twilight whispered, scanning over the area around them.

"They're probably wolves," Fluttershy said. "They're just waiting for the right time to attack."

"We're not going to give them one," Twilight whispered. "On three, we make a break for it. Ready?" The others nodded their consent.

"One… two…"

"Three," A growling voice said.

"…Twilight, that wasn't you, was it?" Rainbow Dash asked. The group of six wisely circled up, preventing anything from sneaking up on them.

"I thought you said they were wolves, Fluttershy!" Rarity said, levitating a few loose rocks to use for defense.

"We are wolves!" The growling voice shouted from the darkness of the surrounding trees. A huge wolf, easily the size of a man, stepped out of the shadows. It was wearing armor made of rough leather, and its front paws, easily the size of shovels, were tipped with sharp claws. The six mages all turned to face it, their weapons at the ready. The wolf stood up on its hind legs, adopting a posture like a human being. "We are the Diamond Dogs, rulers of the Everfree! Who are you to travel through our territory?"

Twilight stepped forwards. "We are very sorry; we didn't know that this was werewolf territory," She said, bowing her head. "We mean you no harm, and only seek to pass through without incident."

"Hrmmm…" The werewolf grumbled, sniffing at Twilight. "Are you the sun witch's apprentice?"

"…Yes?" Twilight said nervously. The werewolf's eyes narrowed.

"I see," He said, baring his sharp fangs at Twilight. "I offer my apologies, then."

"I do not like the sound of that," Rainbow Dash said, glancing over her shoulder at the other werewolves stepping out of hiding.

"Don't worry!" Pinkie Pie said, hopping forward to scratch the werewolf behind the ears. "Whatever you did, we forgive you!"

"Oh, yes, a bit lower, just like that…" The werewolf groaned, leaning into Pinkie Pie's hand. His eyes widened as he realized what he was doing. He grabbed Pinkie's hand and brushed her away. "Enough! Do not mock me, furless-one!"

"I wasn't mocking you, I was petting you!" Pinkie said. The werewolf bristled at her comment.

"I… am not a lapdog! I am a werewolf! And the Moon has commanded that you all must die!" He swung a large paw at Pinkie, who ducked under it and dove between his legs. She hopped onto his back and hit him on the head with a frying pan she pulled out of her pocket.

"RUN NOW!" Pinkie screamed. The others didn't need to be told twice. The six mages ran past the stunned werewolf as fast as they could. The werewolf recovered quickly, and howled at his brethren.

"Don't just stand there, you idiots! After them!" He barked. The other werewolves howled in response, and dashed after the retreating mages.

"What was I thinking, wearing heels!" Rarity cursed at herself, trying her hardest to keep up with the group despite her handicap.

"Just take 'em off!" Applejack yelled back at her.

"I don't exactly have time!" Rarity yelled in response. "I would rather not be eaten by werewolves!"

"I, uh, I don't think that the werewolves would eat us, actually!" Fluttershy said between gasps. "They'll probably still kill us, but most werewolves think that human meat isn't worth eating!"

"Thank you for that wonderful bit of trivia, Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted, ducking under a low branch. "Isn't there anything you can do to stop them? You're a Druid!"

"No! Werewolves are too intelligent!" Fluttershy answered. A werewolf burst into sight ahead of them, snarling at them.

"Left!" Twilight shouted. The six mages veered to the left, avoiding the werewolf. Curiously enough, the werewolf did not give chase, instead vanishing back into the trees.

"Um, I-I think they might be herding us!" Fluttershy yelled out. Another werewolf appeared behind them, snapping at their heels. A second werewolf jumped at them from the right, causing the group to turn even farther left to avoid it.

"Tryin' t' get us someplace they can kill us easier, huh?" Applejack said. "We should stop runnin', then! Fight 'em here an' now!"

"No! If we do that, then they'll just surround us and attack all at once!" Fluttershy said. A pair of werewolves appeared behind them, forcing them to run even faster.

"So we keep running?" Rarity panted. "Let these brutes run us ragged, then just lie back as they kill us all?"

"We don't really have much choice!" Rainbow Dash said, flying alongside the others and loosing arrows into the darkness every now and then.

"I think they're trying to get us into that cave!" Twilight said, pointing at the gaping hole in the cliff face the werewolves were seemingly herding them towards. "They'll have us cornered!"

"Then let's get in there and set a trap or something! Move!" Rainbow Dash said, picking up speed.

The inside of the cave was cool and dark. The mages only stopped running when there was nowhere else to run, panting for breath. Applejack and Rainbow Dash readied their weapons and turned around to face their attackers.

"Come an' get some, ya big, ugly…" Applejack blinked. "…What the hell?"

The werewolves hadn't followed them into the cave. They were just standing in the entrance. At once, they all began to howl. The sound echoed through the cave, making the mages cover their ears to block it out. The ceiling of the cave began to crack, and bits of dirt and stone began to fall as the crack spread.

"They're causing a cave-in!" Twilight realized. With a mighty crash of earth, huge rocks began to fall from the ceiling, throwing up a cloud of dust and dirt.

When the rocks stopped falling, Twilight opened her eyes. "Is everyone okay?" She asked, illuminating the nearly perfect darkness with her staff.

"Fine an' dandy."

"I'm okie-dokie-lokie!"

"A bit startled, but… fine."

"When all this is over, I am going to spend a week in the spa."

"It'll take more than a few stupid rocks to do me in!"

"Great," Twilight said, looking at the wall of rocks sealing the cave shut. "But it looks like we're going to be stuck in here for a while."

"I think there might be another way out," Rainbow Dash said. "Listen. There's wind getting in here from somewhere." Her companions all stopped to listen to the sound of the wind rushing through the large cave almost rhythmically.

"Um, I don't think that's wind," Fluttershy said, pointing at the back wall of the cave.

"…Please don't say what I think you're about to say. Please," Rarity begged, following Fluttershy's gaze to look at the back wall. It was covered in fur, and it rose and fell in time with the 'wind'. "Goddess damn it, that's not a wall, is it?"

"I guess that's why the werewolves trapped us in here," Twilight whispered. "Let's just be very quiet. I think it's still asleep."

"Even after all that? Dang, it must be a heavier sleeper than me!" Pinkie Pie laughed, not even trying to lower her voice.

"Shh!"

"What? It slept through a cave-in! I don't think it's going to wake up just from my voice! Watch!" Pinkie pulled a megaphone from her pocket and brought it to her mouth.

"Pinkie, no!"

"YODEL-AY-HEEEE-HOOOOOO!" Pinkie screamed at the top of her lungs.

The sleeping monster did not move. Pinkie grinned, turning away from the monster and tossing the megaphone over her shoulder.

"There. See? I told you! Sleeping like a…" The megaphone hit the monster's furry back, and the sound of its breathing stopped for a moment. There was a low grumbling as the wall began to shift and lift itself off the ground. The beast opened its enormous mouth as it yawned, showing gleaming white teeth the size of swords. Its massive head turned to look at the six frightened mages, dark eyes glimmering. It looked past them at the new wall of stones where the entrance was supposed to be, then back to the mages.

"…Oops."

"Nobody… move," Twilight whispered. "If we leave it be, maybe it'll go back to…"

The giant monster opened its mouth and roared, globs of spittle flying through the air. The cave was lit up as the monster's body began to glow with a bright blue light, showing the monster for what it was. A bear, almost two stories tall, and positively thrumming with magical energy.

"…Or maybe it won't," Twilight said. "Get ready for a fight, girls!" Twilight raised her staff, Rarity levitated a few choice stones, casting Enchantments on them, Pinkie Pie armed herself with a sledgehammer, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash readied their weapons.

"Um, I think we should…" Fluttershy tried to speak up, but she was cut off by Twilight barking orders.

"Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie! Hit that thing with everything you've got!"

"Roger!"

"On it!"

"Okie-dokie, artichokie! Ew, artichokes."

"Rarity, support them with some offensive Enchantments!"

"Already on it, dear," Rarity said, working her magic. She quickly pressed a hand to Applejack's sword and Pinkie's hammer, and both weapons lit on fire. Pinkie began to giggle as a maniacal grin grew on her face.

"Fluttershy, see if you can make that thing hold still long enough for the others to deal some damage! And be ready to do some healing!"

"But I don't think…"

"GO!" Twilight ordered, summoning a massive amount of magical power. Rainbow Dash took off, letting loose a dozen arrows of lightning, ice, and fire. They only served to irritate the giant bear, but they were effective in drawing its attention long enough for Applejack and Pinkie to get in close.

"May the Goddess smite my foes!" Applejack called out as she cut a shallow line across one of the bear's paws. The bear screamed in pain, and swiped at her. Applejack ducked, and cupped her hands together. "Pinkie! Need a lift?"

"Upsy-daisy!" Pinkie settled a foot into Applejack's hands, and the Paladin tossed her with a grunt. Pinkie somersaulted through the air, letting out a meaningless battle cry as she flew at the bear's head. The bear slapped her out of the air with ease. Pinkie, for some reason, squealed with delight as she crashed into Rainbow Dash, sending them both to the ground.

"Again! Again!" She cried, clapping her hands together.

Fluttershy tried to address Twilight again. "Twilight, I really don't think that this is a very…"

"Not now, Fluttershy!" Twilight said, waving her staff through the air as her spell began to take form.

"Hey, Rar! How 'bout a lil' help?" Applejack called out, dodging another swing of the bear's claw.

"Just a moment, darling! Patience is a virtue!" Rarity responded, picking a choice rock out of the ones orbiting around her. The gems on her tiara began to glow as she set an Enchantment on the simple rock. When the Enchantment was completed, the rock floated out of Rarity's hands in her magical grip, and began to spin around the Enchantress, gaining speed.

"Catch," Rarity said. She clicked her fingers, and the rock was sent flying at the bear at speeds that would have made Rainbow Dash jealous. The rock, enchanted to be as hard as diamond, struck the bear in the glowing white starburst on its forehead. The bear bellowed in pain, taking a step back and grabbing at its head.

"My goodness, what is that thing's skin made of?" Rarity wondered. "Imagine what kind of armor I could make out of its leather…"

"Everybody, stand back!" Twilight ordered. Her staff was glowing like the sun, and Twilight's arm was shaking as she held it above her head. Rarity and Applejack wisely moved out of the way, giving Twilight a clear shot at the stunned bear. "Here we go," She said, drawing a circle in the air with her staff. "Azarath… Metrion… Zin-"

"WAAAIIT!" Fluttershy screamed, grabbing Twilight's arm and forcing it downwards.

"-thos!"

A blinding beam of light erupted from Twilight's staff, boring through the floor of the cave as Fluttershy held Twilight's arm down. When the beam died, it left behind a hole in the ground the size of a watermelon, going down an indeterminable distance.

"Fluttershy, what were you thinking?! I could've killed that…"

"Exactly! You don't have to kill it, Twilight!" Fluttershy said, releasing Twilight's arm. "Just look at the poor thing. It's in such pain."

The bear moaned, still clutching at its injured forehead.

"Just give me a chance, okay? There doesn't have to be any more violence here," Fluttershy said, her eyes filled with remorse. Twilight sighed, and lowered her staff.

"Okay, fine," She said. Fluttershy smiled, and walked past Twilight to the giant bear. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry, I can handle it," Fluttershy said. The bear, noticing her approach, growled angrily, threatening to lunge at the Druid. Fluttershy didn't show any fear as she lay her staff on the ground. "It's okay, little guy. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Little?" Rainbow Dash repeated in disbelief. The bear put its teeth on display, but Fluttershy kept on walking forwards.

"Shhh, shhh. It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," Fluttershy said calmly. "I'm sorry that my friends were being so mean, but they were a bit frightened. You are quite scary, what with your big teeth and your sharp claws, you know."

The bear seemed to swell with pride at Fluttershy's compliments, grinning as only a bear could. A second later, he moaned again, bringing a claw to his forehead. "Oh, does that still hurt? May I please take a look at it?" Fluttershy asked. The bear looked down at her, then growled something in Rarity's direction. Fluttershy listened intently, then turned to Rarity. "He wants you to apologize, Rarity."

"Apologize? To such a beast? Why, I…" Rarity paused when she saw Fluttershy's disapproving glare. "…I apologize." She said, bowing her head. The bear, seemingly satisfied, lowered its head to the ground. Fluttershy, without a trace of fear, stepped up onto the bear's snout so she could reach the red, stinging lump.

"Don't you worry one little bit. I'm going to make you feel all better," Fluttershy said, carefully touching the lump. The bear abruptly lifted its head and roared, causing Fluttershy to grab onto the bear's fur to avoid falling off.

"Fluttershy!" The others called out in fear.

"I know that hurt a little, but I need you to stay calm so I can heal it!" Fluttershy told the bear, still clinging onto its fur. The bear roared in response. "I'm not going to hurt you on purpose! I just want to help!"

This seemed to calm the bear down a bit, and it lowered its head back to the ground, going cross-eyed as it tried to keep Fluttershy in its vision. The Druid gingerly set her hands on the lump, and the bear visibly winced, but didn't try to throw Fluttershy off.

"Thank you very much," Fluttershy said sweetly. "Now, just give me a moment, and I'll have you all fixed up."

Fluttershy's hands began to glow with beautiful pink energy, and the bear sighed in contentment. In moments, the swelling was gone, and Fluttershy's hands stopped glowing. Fluttershy smiled. "All done," She said. "See? I told you that you could trust me."

The bear shook its head, tossing Fluttershy off. The bear towered over the collapsed Druid, its expression unreadable.

Then, it lowered its head and licked her with its huge pink tongue.

"It's tasting her! ATTACK!" Pinkie screamed, running forwards with her sledgehammer held over her head. "PIINNNKIIIIIIIEEE! PIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

"N-no, Pinkie! St-stop!" Fluttershy squealed in between bouts of laughter. "He's just saying… heeheehee… thanks!"

"Incredible," Twilight said, shaking her head in disbelief. "A two-story tall bear, and it is licking her like a puppy."

"O-okay, you can let me up now, please," Fluttershy said, still giggling as she pushed the bear's tongue away. The bear complied, moving back so Fluttershy could stand up. The Druid spent a moment trying to fix her hair, which had been slicked back by the bear's saliva.

"I'm very sorry we accidentally woke you up from your nap," Fluttershy said, patting the bear on the nose. "We'll let you get back to sleep."

"Wait, what? No, no, wait!" Twilight said, waving her hands. "Fluttershy, the wall!"

"Wall? What – oh, that wall," Fluttershy said, remembering the reason they were stuck in the cave. "What about it?"

Outside the cave, the Diamond Dogs waited patiently. "Think they're dead yet?" Spaht asked Roh-Ver.

"Shut up," The Alpha werewolf said.

"So, yes or no?"

Roh-Ver growled at him.

"Shutting up."

"Imbeciles," Roh-Ver grumbled, looking at the pile of boulders sealing their prey in with the Ursa.

He didn't expect it to suddenly explode.

"What in the name of the Moon?!" Roh-Ver screamed, jumping to the side to dodge a falling rock. There was a deep, angry roar as a massive blue bear stepped out of the cave. Clinging to its back were six tiny human shapes.

The Ursa seemed to stare straight at Roh-Ver at that moment, and the proud werewolf decided that it would be a good idea to high-tail it out of there.

"RUN!" He screamed, not caring about how shrill his voice sounded. "THEY MADE FRIENDS WITH THE URSA!"

Rainbow Dash laughed as she watched the werewolves run away with their tails literally between their legs. "YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT! RUN, YOU BIG CHICKENS!"

"Don't taunt them, Rainbow," Twilight said as she slid off the bear's back. "You might make them think about coming back."

"Whatever," Rainbow Dash said, floating in the air lazily.

"Thank you very much for your help, little guy," Fluttershy said, giving the bear a small kiss on the cheek. "You'd better get back to sleep, so you'll be a great, big, strong Ursa one day."

The bear gave Fluttershy an affectionate nuzzle, then retreated back into its cave, shaking the earth with each step it took. Fluttershy was almost skipping when she rejoined the group.

"Wow, Fluttershy. I didn't actually think that would work," Twilight said to the Druid.

"Oh, it was nothing special, really," Fluttershy said. "All creatures deserve to be shown a little kindness."

"Kindness, huh?" Twilight said.

"Also, if you'd kept on fighting that Ursa Minor, you might have woken up his mother," Fluttershy said casually. Twilight blinked.

"His… mother?" Twilight repeated. Fluttershy nodded.

"The Ursa Major. Didn't you see her? The Ursa Minor was snuggled up against her before he woke up," Fluttershy said. Twilight's mouth gaped.

"But… that thing was just sleeping against the…" Twilight paused as realization hit her. "…wall."

"Oh, yes, Ursa Majors are very, very large. And powerful. It's said that even Celestia was a little bit scared of them."

"...And you didn't tell us earlier?"

"It... must've slipped my mind."

When the Diamond Dogs clambered out of their new tunnel in front of the old castle, panting for breath, the Grand Master was already there, waiting for them.

"Is the apprentice dead?" He asked immediately. Roh-Ver shook his head in shame.

"It was... a bear... they made friends... and we ran..." He said between breaths. The Grand Master sighed.

"So, no," He said. "Your entire pack couldn't kill her."

"...We could not," Roh-Ver said, hanging his head.

"I see," The Grand Master said. "Clearly, I need to send somebody with more than two brain cells to rub together."

"A-hem."

The Grand Master turned his head to see a man's armored six-pack. He looked up to see Iron Will, smiling expectantly.

"Close enough, I suppose."

"Do not worry, Master. IRON WILL!" Pose. "Shall not betray your expectations," Iron Will said.

"My expectations are for you to fail miserably," The Grand Master said, feeling the beginnings of an aneurysm. "So don't do that."


	10. Chapter 10

**Ch: 10: The Mercenary's Plan**

Iron Will stared at the wide river in front of him, the gears in his mind turning.

He knew for a fact that the apprentice and her friends were trying to get to the castle, and that in order to get there, they'd have to cross this river. Thus, if he was able to find some way to stop them from crossing the river, he'd win without having to do any fighting himself. Then, he remembered that his employer wanted the apprentice dead.

"Iron Will," Pose. "Wonders if there are any piranhas in this river."

"Piranhas? In my river? Oh, perish the thought!"

Iron Will blinked. There was a purple river dragon with slicked back orange hair and a matching mustache rising out of the river nearby.

"I've been living in this river for the past… oh, two hundred years, and in all that time, I don't think I've ever seen a piranha!" The river dragon said with a voice that did not sound like it belonged to a river dragon. "Oh, but where are my manners. Is there something you need, my muscle-bound friend?"

The cogs in Iron Will's mind came to a conclusion. A brilliant conclusion, one might say. If one was Iron Will.

"Iron Will!" Pose. "Would like for you to help him kill some people!"

The river dragon stared at him for a moment, jaw slack. Then, he started laughing.

"Ohohoho, that's rich! Me, kill someone? I haven't heard a suggestion so silly for a hundred years!" The dragon cackled.

"So, you don't kill people?" Iron Will asked.

"Of course not! How atrociously barbaric! I wouldn't kill someone unless I was really, really miffed about something!" The dragon said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Miffed, you say?" Iron Will asked, stroking his chin. "What would have to happen for you to get that miffed?"

"Oh, I don't get miffed very often. I live a very relaxed lifestyle, you see. But I suppose I would get really irked if something was to happen to my mustache!" The river dragon said, stroking the fiery orange hair on his upper lip. A light clicked on in Iron Will's mind.

"Can Iron Will," Pose. "Tell you a secret?"

"Why, of course he can! I'm quite trustworthy!" The river dragon said.

"Good," Iron Will said. He beckoned for the river dragon to lean a little closer with one hand, while he reached for his axe with the other.

"Oh, bless the Goddess! Water!" Rarity squealed, running ahead of the others to the riverbank. She collected some water with her cupped hands and splashed it in her face, almost moaning with pleasure.

"You're sure we have to cross this, Twilight?" Applejack asked. Twilight nodded.

"Positive. Not sure how, though," She said, rubbing her chin. "Fluttershy, if we find some water grass, do you think you could make it grow into a bridge?"

"Maybe. But I don't think it would be strong enough to support us all,"

"Then, Pinkie Pie…"

"No, I don't keep a rubber raft in my pockets. Not anymore."

"Damn. Rainbow Dash, do you think you could carry us across one at a time?" Twilight asked. The Elementalist tore her eyes away from the Enchantress kneeling on the riverbank.

"Uh, no. Probably not," She said, glancing back at Rarity. "…Could you gimme a minute?"

Twilight nodded, and Rainbow Dash tiptoed over to Rarity, a mischievous grin on her face. With one swift kick, she sent the Enchantress tumbling into the water.

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted as Rainbow Dash started howling with laughter. Rarity was flailing in the knee-deep water, and screaming profanities at Rainbow Dash that would have made an experienced sailor shed a single manly tear.

"I swear, I couldn't help it," Rainbow Dash giggled. Rarity stopped flailing around and stood up, her hair dripping and her dress completely soaked. She clicked her fingers, and her hair magically dried.

"You could have helped it," She said. "You just didn't…" Her eyes widened, and she glanced down at her feet.

"What's wrong? Lost a shoe?" Rainbow Dash joked. Rarity shook her head, and quickly got out of the water.

"I swear I just felt something touch my leg," She said, regrouping with the others without turning her back on the river.

"Maybe it was a fish?" Fluttershy suggested.

"I don't think so. It felt… scaly," Rarity said. She gasped, and pointed at the water. "There! I just saw something move!"

"Fish are scaly," Fluttershy pointed out, looking for the motion that Rarity had seen. "Maybe that's what you saw?"

"It wasn't a fish! I'm certain! Maybe it was a…" There was a huge splash of water as a long, purple shape burst out of the water.

"ALL SHALL DIE BY THE BURNING CONFLAGRATION OF MY **WRATH!"** It roared with the guttural voice of a demon.

"River dragon!" Fluttershy screamed.

 _"Mustache!"_ Pinkie screamed, pointing at the thick orange locks of hair springing out of one side of the river dragon's face.

"YOU MOCK MY **PAIN?!"** The dragon screamed, his eyes shooting full-sized swords. He thrust his head forwards, and let out a pressurized stream of water from his throat. Twilight and her companions were lucky enough to dodge it, and the river dragon didn't try to follow up on his attack, instead shouting about how mad he was and how he was going to show them that he was mad

"Fluttershy, can you talk to him like you did with the bear?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy shook her head.

"No! Dragons aren't influenced by Druid magic! Too smart! And... scary," Fluttershy added under her breath.

"Then it looks like we're going to have to fight!" Twilight said, firing off a basic attack spell. It bounced off the river dragon's gloriously shining scales and hit the ground at Twilight's feet.

"Okay, that's not going to work," Twilight decided. Pinkie Pie cartwheeled forwards to stand at the edge of the river.

"Okay, mister meany-beany, try this on for size!" She yelled, fanning out a deck of playing cards. "Pick a card, any card!" The river dragon's eyes lit up.

"Ooh, goody! I do so adore magic tricks!" He squealed. He carefully picked out one of the cards, and brought it up to his face to get a closer look at it.

"Your card… is the three of diamonds!" Pinkie Pie announced. The river dragon gasped in shock.

"Amazing! How did you know?" He asked, handing the card back to Pinkie. The Trickster winked at him.

"A true magician never reveals her secrets!" She said.

"Oh, okay," The river dragon said. He flicked Pinkie Pie away, and went back to roaring about his anger.

"Well, I'm out of ideas!" Pinkie said, hopping back up without a trace of injury. Applejack rolled her neck in preparation.

"Looks like I'm gonna have t' get my hands dirty," She said, stepping towards the riverbank without a care in the world. She bent down and picked up a rock, tossing it at the dragon to grab its attention. It bounced off the dragon's snout, and the dragon glared angrily at Applejack, who was spreading her arms out in invitation.

"Eat me, ya ugly garden snake!" She taunted. The dragon's eyes widened.

"…Did you just call me ugly?" He asked. "BITCH, I'M FABULOUS!" He lunged with an open mouth, preparing to eat the morsel who had dared to insult his personal appearance. Applejack grinned, and easily stepped out of the dragon's way, letting him get a mouthful of dirt. She gripped her sword with both hands, and with one swing, it was over.

The dragon's mustache fell to the ground. "Consarnit, I missed!" Applejack cursed. The river dragon wordlessly lifted his head, staring in shock at the orange hair on the ground.

"My… my _mustache_ …" He said mournfully, picking up the hair as if it was a child. "You… you ruined all that I had left of my mustache!" He started crying like a child, thrashing around as he wailed. "It took me centuries to grow this glorious handlebar! Centuries, I tell you! And you… you and that stupid brute destroyed it!"

"Uh, sorry?" Applejack said, not sure if she should feel apologetic or not. "For what it's worth, I was aimin' for your throat."

"Well, what's _stopping_ you?!" The dragon whined, laying his head on the riverbank next to Applejack, throat up. "You might as well just kill me now! I wouldn't dare go through life looking so… horrid! Just… just make it quick and painless! Right here!" He drew a line across his throat, outlining where Applejack should cut him. Applejack looked at Twilight for guidance. Twilight shrugged, being just as lost for words as Applejack.

"Applejack, you should feel ashamed of yourself!" Rarity said, smacking the back of the Paladin's head. "Being so cruel to this handsome dragon! I never would have taken you for such a bully!"

"I wasn't tryin' to cut his dumb half-a-'stache off!" Applejack said defensively. The dragon gasped, and stared at Applejack with tearful eyes.

"My… my _mustache_ … is _dumb?"_ He repeated, bottom lip quivering.

"Oh, now look what you've done," Rarity said, shaking her head at Applejack. "Haven't you done enough damage?" She shoved the Paladin away, and knelt next to the sobbing river dragon. "I'm so sorry for what my friend here said to you. But you really shouldn't take what she said to heart – she wouldn't know good fashion if it took her on a nice dinner date."

The dragon chortled through his tears. "Oh, you're right! I mean, really, wearing red leather with bronze armor? Ugh, so tacky!"

"I know! And from what I've heard, she cuts her own hair with her sword!" Rarity giggled. Applejack scowled at her. The dragon righted himself, and started fussing with his own hair.

"Clearly the poor girl has no experience with proper hair care. I've been cutting my own hair for centuries!" He said proudly, tossing his head.

"It looks positively marvelous, darling," Rarity said. "And your scales… oh, what have you been doing to make them so lustrous?"

"A diet of river pearls works wonders on scales, dearie. I grow them myself," The dragon said.

"It certainly shows," Rarity said. "But it's all for naught without that glorious mustache." The dragon started sobbing again, burying his face in his claws.

"Oh, you're right! Whatever am I going to do?" He cried. Rarity cracked her knuckles in preparation.

"I can fix this," She said. "By my word as a fashionista, I shall not allow this crime against fabulosity to go uncorrected! What is your name?"

"In the tongue of dragons, I am Stvenmgnyt," The dragon said. "But you may call me 'Steven'."

"Alright, Steven. Lie down. I shall fix this if it is the last thing I do," Rarity said. Steven did as he was told, laying his head next to Rarity. The Enchantress plucked a long, purple scale from his neck, making Steven wince in pain.

"Wh-what are you going to do with that?" Steven asked fearfully.

"Just close your eyes and think peaceful thoughts," Rarity said. "It will all be over quickly."

"My personal appearance is in your hands," Steven whimpered, covering his eyes.

Rarity lifted the purple scale up over her head like a dagger, biting her lip and clenching her eyes. Without giving herself time to hesitate, she made one clean cut.

The others gasped as they realized what Rarity had just done.

"I… I don't believe it," Rainbow Dash said, covering her mouth in horror.

"Land's sakes… I didn't think she had it in her," Applejack said, putting a hand over her heart in respect.

"This… is THE weirdest hallucination I've ever had!" Pinkie concluded gleefully.

"Oh… oh my," Fluttershy said.

"What's the big deal?" Twilight asked. "She just cut her hair."

"Some silence would be appreciated!" Rarity called out, holding the wavy mass of violet hair in one hand. "I must concentrate."

Rarity went to work. She divided the length of curling violet hair into two equal halves, and held one half in each hand. She pressed their ends on both sides of Steven's snout, where his mustache had been, and hummed in concentration. There was a short flash, and when she removed her hands, her hair had fused to Steven's scales.

"What happened? Can I look now?" Steven asked.

"Not yet, dear. I just need to make a few finishing touches," Rarity said, brushing her fingers through Steven's new mustache. With each brush of her hand, the hair slowly changed color, until it had turned from violet to the same orange as Steven's hair. When she was done, Steven's mustache was as good as new, if a bit curlier than the original. "You can open your eyes now," Rarity said. Steven slowly cracked one eye open, and gasped in awe.

"My mustache! And it looks glorious!" He cried, running a claw through the curly orange mustache. "But how did you manage to… oh, by the Goddess's two-in-one shampoo and conditioner!"

"What, this?" Rarity said, gesturing to her freshly cut hair, which now only reached her shoulders. "Oh, don't worry about it. Short hair is 'in' this season, after all."

"You gave up your own hair so that you could fix mine… Oh, clearly you are no simple fashionista! You must be the Goddess walking in the company of mortals!" Steven cried, raising his claws to the heavens. "If there's any way I can possibly repay you for this…"

"Tut tut tut! No need to repay me, darling. I enjoy working pro bono," Rarity said.

"Oh, but I refuse to allow such a generous act to go unrewarded! Perhaps I could… say…" Steven looked over at the opposite side of the river. "…Help you cross the river?"

"Would you do that?" Rarity asked. Steven nodded, stretching out his serpentine body tomake a clear bridge from one side of the river to the other.

"It would be my pleasure!" He said, bowing his head to Rarity. "Come, the other shore beckons you!"

"You are too kind," Rarity said, stepping onto Steven's back and walking across it. Applejack carefully followed her, noticing that Steven was still glaring at her. Rainbow Dash chose to fly over the river instead, and Fluttershy ended up needing some coaxing from Pinkie Pie to be willing to get anywhere near Steven. Twilight brought up the rear, following Pinkie as she held the screaming Druid above her head like a trophy.

"Again, thank you ever so much for your help, and I apologize for my horrid behavior earlier," Steven said to Rarity when all six mages had reached the other side of the river.

"It's perfectly alright. I'm certain that anyone would act the same way if their hair was forcibly ruined," Rarity said.

"Your forgiveness knows no bounds, my lady," Steven said, bowing his head. "But… that said, I must ask for a small favor."

"Of course. What is it?" Rarity asked. Steven's eyes narrowed.

"I want you to find the man who cut off my mustache, and make him pay," Steven said. He held out the sharp purple scale that Rarity had used to cut her hair. "Please, use this scale and exact vengeance on my behalf."

Rarity nodded, and accepted the scale, tucking it into her dress. "Describe him for me," She said, her voice as hard as stone.

"Oh, bless your soul," Steven said. "He was large, very large, and he had more muscles than he knew what to do with. His hair looked like a pair of horns – quite a striking hairstyle, now that I think about it – and he used a huge axe to… to…"

"I understand," Rarity said, nodding. "Should I happen to find him…" Her eyes narrowed, and her face took on an expression that would send chills down a normal human's spine. "…I will make him pay for the destruction of your mustache."

Steven's bottom lip started to quiver. "Thank you," He said tearfully, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye. "And may the Goddess smile upon your quest."

"IIIIIRRON WWWWIIILL!" The mercenary bellowed as he strode into the castle, "IS IN THE BUILDING!"

"Never would have fucking guessed," Nightshade grumbled from her perch up above.

"Is the apprentice taken care of?" The Grand Master asked, materializing out of the shadows behind Iron Will.

"Indubitably!" Iron Will said, flexing his massive biceps. "Iron Will enlisted a river dragon to squash those pesky mages like overripe tomatoes in a food fight!"

"River dragon?" Roh-Ver said, popping out of a hole in the ground.

"River dragon!" Iron Will crowed, striking a pose. "A LEAN! MEAN! KILLIN' MACHINE!"

"Are you talking about Stvenmgnyt?" Roh-Ver asked. "The only river dragon that couldn't hurt a fly?"

"He is vicious! You should have seen how he acted after Iron Will!" Pose. "Cut off half his goofy mustache!"

Roh-Ver stared at Iron Will with wide eyes and open mouth. "You… cut off his mustache?"

"Ohhhhh yyyyyeeaaahh."

"…You monster."

"Enough," The Grand Master said, silencing both of them. "Iron Will, is the apprentice dead or not?"

"Uh…" Iron Will rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe? Iron Will!" Pose. "Didn't stick around after the dragon went ballistic."

The Grand Master groaned, massaging his temples. "What part of 'make sure she's dead' is so hard for you simpletons to understand? In all my years, I have never seen so many people act so incompetently. It's almost astounding."

"So, what, is it my turn yet?" Nightshade asked from her perch. The Grand Master shook his head.

"No. Honestly, I should have done this in the beginning," He said, grumbling under his breath as he stalked out of the castle. "If you want something done, _do it yourself."_


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch. 11: Worst Reunion EVER**

"Hey, Twilight? Are we…"

"No, Pinkie. We are not there yet!"

"That wasn't what I was going to say," Pinkie said. "I was going to ask if we were lost."

Twilight sighed, stepping over another root. "No, we are not lost. We are going the right way."

"You sure?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

"If I may," A voice spoke up, making the six mages jump in surprise. It was a man wearing light, black armor, almost invisible in the darkness. Only part of his face was visible under his hood. He was leaning against a tree, as if he had been waiting for them for some time. He pointed over his shoulder. "The castle is in that direction."

"…Uh, thanks?" Twilight said suspiciously. Pinkie squeaked and hid behind Twilight, trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Pinkie, what are you doing?" Fluttershy whispered.

"I'm not here, I'm not here, I'm not here…" Pinkie Pie chanted in a hushed voice, her face ashen.

"You are Twilight Sparkle, correct?" The man asked.

"And if I am?" Twilight responded, summoning her staff behind her back.

"Then I have an offer for her. One that I recommend she accept," The man said.

"What kind of offer?" Twilight asked suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"My name is not important," The man said. "I am the Grand Master of the Shadow Blades, Her Majesty's most loyal followers. But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here so that we can discuss the terms of your surrender, Twilight Sparkle."

"My what?" Twilight echoed. Applejack's hand went to her sword, and Rainbow Dash slowly pulled her bow off her back.

"Your surrender," The Grand Master said. "I am willing to be merciful. Her Majesty only wants you; the others are of no importance. If you give yourself up peacefully, then they will be spared."

"And if I refuse?" Twilight asked, summoning her staff.

"Then I will have no choice but to kill all of you," The Grand Master said, straightening himself.

"Did you actually think I would even consider something so ridiculous?" Twilight asked. "After we've come so far, I'm not going to give up because of some idle threats! Just the fact that you're trying to get me to give myself up shows that you're scared of us!"

"Do not mistake my mercy for fear, Twilight Sparkle," The Grand Master said. "I wished to end this with as little bloodshed as possible, but... clearly, you have it in your mind that I am an opponent you can defeat."

"I like my odds," Twilight said. "There's six of us and only one of you."

The Grand Master chuckled. "Not for long," He said, and he vanished, dropping through the ground as if it was water.

"What the – where'd he go?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking around in confusion. There was no sign of him anywhere.

"Maybe he was an illusion?" Applejack suggested, pulling her sword off her back.

There was a deep chuckle that seemed to come from everywhere around them. "Can illusions do this?" The Grand Master asked. There was the sound of something small shooting through the air, and Twilight yelped. Her hand flew to her neck as if she was trying to swat a bug, and she pulled out the offending object: a small needle. She stared at it for a moment, her eyes crossing.

"Ohhh… thhaaat'ssss chhheeeeaap," She said, her voice slowing down. Twilight stumbled and fell, and the Grand Master materialized out of the shadows. He grabbed the unconscious Twilight, and for a split second, his eyes locked with Pinkie Pie's.

"Impossible," He whispered, and then he faded through the shadows again, taking Twilight with him.

"Get back here!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flying after him.

"Dashie, no!" Pinkie screamed, but Rainbow Dash had already separated from the group. The Grand Master dropped down from the trees, kneeing her in the back and knocking her out of the air. They didn't hit the ground; they dropped through it, vanishing completely.

A second later, there was a brief scream of pain in the distance.

"He's over there!" Applejack said, turning to run towards the scream. Pinkie Pie grabbed her arm and dug her heels into the ground.

"Don't! That's what he wants!" Pinkie begged, her voice devoid of her trademark good cheer. She sounded scared.

"How do you know?" Applejack replied, her voice raised.

"Please, please don't ask me! I just need you to take me seriously for once! Twilight and Rainbow Dash are probably still alive, but…"

"R-Rarity!" Fluttershy shrieked.

Applejack and Pinkie turned to see the Grand Master receding back into the shadows, carrying a limp Rarity. Pinkie Pie suddenly realized that there was a respectable distance between herself and Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, get over here, quick!" She shouted, beckoning for Fluttershy to hurry. The Druid nodded shakily, and took one step towards Pinkie and Applejack.

"Not fast enough," The Grand Master said in Fluttershy's ear. Before she even had time to scream, he pinched her where her shoulder and neck met, and she fell unconscious. The Grand Master and Fluttershy melted into the shadows, and they were gone.

Finally, Applejack couldn't take it any longer, and she broke away from Pinkie. "Come back here, you rotten sonuva-"

"No!"

Too late. The Grand Master rose out of the ground in front of Applejack, and used her momentum to throw her. They vanished from sight, and Pinkie could only hear the sound of Applejack screaming as the Grand Master delivered the final blow.

Pinkie was alone.

"If you wanted to talk to me, you could have just asked!" Pinkie said to the darkness, flicking a deck of cards out of her sleeve. She whipped around at the sound of a cracking branch, and threw a few cards like knives. They vanished into the darkness, and Pinkie heard them make a short thunk as they dug into an innocent tree.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie," A gravelly voice said from behind Pinkie. Pinkie yelped, jumping a full foot into the air. The Grand Master was standing right behind her, glaring angrily at her. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too, Daddy," Pinkie said with as much venom as she could muster. It wasn't much.

"Don't give me that attitude, Pinkamena," The Grand Master said, pulling down his hood. He was an old man, with thinning gray hair and plenty of scars and wrinkles. His face was not one very familiar with smiling.

"You're not the boss of me!" Pinkie retorted, going nose to nose with Clydesdale Augustus Pie, the current Grand Master of the Shadow Blades Order.

For a few seconds, father and daughter glared at each other.

Then, their eyes softened, and they embraced for the first time in years.

"I missed you, Daddy," Pinkie admitted.

"I missed you too, Pinkamena," Clyde said.

"How's Mom?" Pinkie asked, pulling away from her father.

"She's fine. Misses you as well."

"You're not still mad that I ran away?" Pinkie asked sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck.

"Mad?" Clyde shook his head. "I was never mad. Truth be told, I was simply impressed you were able to escape the compound."

"Eh, it was nothing," Pinkie said, a bit of pride creeping into her voice.

"You were ten."

"It wasn't very hard! You left the gate open!"

Clyde chuckled, shaking his head. "You saw an opportunity, and you took it. A trait of a skilled assassin," He said. "You would have made a fantastic Blade." Pinkie grimaced.

"I… I might have," She said uneasily. 'Oh jeez. Heeere we go.'

"You know…" Clyde cleared his throat. "I'm sure that the rest of the Order would welcome you back with open arms. If you…"

"No," Pinkie said sternly. "Thank you, Daddy, but… I can't."

Clyde clenched his fists. "You were born to be a Blade!"

"And I decided I didn't want to be one!" Pinkie shouted back. "I don't want to be an assassin! I don't want to spend all my time lurking around in the dark! I don't want to kill people because some dusty old lady on the moon told me to! I want to live!"

"If you stay with your 'friends', you will die!" Clyde yelled. "The Queen is a thousand times stronger than the six of you put together! Facing her is paramount to suicide!"

"At least I'll have tried!" Pinkie screamed, her voice ten times louder than her father's. "I'm sorry, Daddy, but I stopped being Pinkamena Diane Pie a looong time ago! I have a new life now! I have friends! I work at a bakery that's made out of gingerbread! Magiville is my home! And I'm not gonna give it up so I can live in some dark, smelly, castle where nobody ever smiles! I'm..." She took a deep breath, calming herself. "I'm Pinkie Pie. And I do miss my family sometimes, but... I can't give up what I've spent so long to make." Clyde stared at her in silence.

He closed his eyes and sighed in defeat.

"So be it."

With speed that came from a lifetime of dedicated practice, Clyde lashed out, jabbing a sharp needle into a vein in Pinkie's neck. Pinkie's eyes shot open, and she quickly backflipped away. She landed in a crouch, and pulled the needle out of her neck.

"Wha… wha'd you do to me?" She asked, her vision starting to swim. "Wha's on this… pointy thingy?"

"A poison derived from a plant native to the Everfree," Clyde said, pulling his hood back up. "Heart's Desire. One petal can remove all inhibitions, making a person realize their deepest desires, things they had been keeping from themselves."

"I'm… not gonna… become… a Blade…" Pinkie said groggily, falling to her hands and knees as she broke out in a cold sweat.

"We'll see," Clyde said, turning away from his daughter. "Come and find me when you come to a decision. I'll be waiting."

"You… are the worst… dad… ever…" Pinkie said, the last of her conscious mind fleeing her.

The Grand Master was already gone.

The Grand Master tapped his foot impatiently. He looked at his pocket watch, and then at the five unconscious mages bound and gagged on the ground next to him.

"Should be a few minutes," He decided, tucking his watch away. The sound of shuffling leaves caught his attention, and he turned to look. He smiled when he realized who it was.

It was his daughter. Her hair had lost its curliness, and now hung limply, covering her face. She was hanging her head, as if in shame, and her shoulders were slumped, letting her arms swing idly with each step she took. She was no longer as violently bright as she had been; her hair and jacket were both much darker shades than they had been minutes before.

"I trust you have come to a decision, Pinkamena?" Clyde asked, standing up and facing his daughter. His daughter was silent, as if she was weighing her options.

"…Yes," She said.

Before Clyde could say anything, Pinkamena sank through the shadows at her feet.

"I decided to kill you first," She whispered in his ear, forming out of the shadows behind Clyde.

There was a sudden pain in his arm, and Clyde screamed. He fell through the shadow of the tree he was standing under, and rose out of the shadow of another nearby tree. He pulled the black knife out of his arm, and stared at it in shock. Blood was pouring freely from his arm now.

"Ooh, that's a lotta blood!" His daughter giggled. Clyde's eyes snapped up, and he realized that she was standing in front of him, holding six knives identical to the one he had just been stabbed with. "But it's not enough!"

She swiped at him as if the knives were claws, and Clyde was able to only narrowly avoid them. They cut through the armor on his stomach, leaving behind a thin scratch on his skin that soon became wet with blood.

"That's it?" Pinkamena said sadly. "C'mon! Bleed some more for me, Daddy!" She threw all six of her knives, and they flew in strange, curving patterns, zeroing in on the Grand Master. The old man dropped through the shadows, and reappeared above his daughter, sword at the ready.

"Bo-ring!" Pinkamena said, more knives appearing in her hands with a flick of her wrists. She held them up and blocked her father's sword with ease, her arms bending at unnatural angles. "I thought you were gonna put up a fight!" She turned her head like she was an owl, looking her father dead in the eye. "But this is so boring!"

"The – the Heart's Desire… It wasn't supposed to do this!" Clyde yelled, swinging furiously at the monster wearing his daughter's skin. She was able to block all his attacks perfectly, and she was laughing the entire time.

"Feels like it worked to me!" She giggled. "I never knew that I wanted to KILL EVERYBODY, but now that I've realized it? I feel FREE!"

She snaked under his sword, and lunged at him with one knife. She stabbed him in the side with it, and he screamed.

"Kidney! Kidney! I got his kidney!" Pinkamena cheered, cartwheeling away. "I wonder what I'll stab next? Maybe I'll go for his other kidney? Or his liver? Oooh, the possibilities are endless!"

Clyde was gasping for breath as he applied more pressure to his wound. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight while he was bleeding out. And if he kept on fighting this thing, he wouldn't survive. He had no choice.

He sank through the shadows, letting the darkness take him. He had to run. As he jumped from shadow to shadow, getting as far away from his 'daughter' as he could, he could still hear her.

She was clucking like a chicken and questioning the legitimacy of his birth.

"…with a live rooster!" Pinkamena finished. When she realized that her father was too far away to hear her, she pouted. "Nuts. I didn't get to kill him."

Pinkamena caught some motion in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see that it was one of her friends, starting to stir.

One of her friends… completely defenseless… and already tied up in magic cancellation rope.

Pinkamena couldn't stop herself from giggling with expectation.

As Twilight returned to consciousness, she realized that she was starting to get tired of being knocked out. Three times in one day. Seriously.

"Ooh, you're awake, you're awake!" A familiar voice chirped. "I was hoping you'd wake up soon! It wouldn't be as fun if you were asleep!"

"P-Pinkie?" Twilight asked, her eyes adapting to the darkness. "What happened?"

"Eh, nothing much," Pinkie said.

"Pinkie…" Twilight looked down at the ground, and then up at the rope that was tied around her wrists and a tree branch. "Pinkie, why am I hanging from a tree?"

"So I can have some fun!" Pinkie said, rubbing her hands together with glee.

"Fun? What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, trying to summon up some magical energy. It wouldn't come to her. "We don't have time for this! We have to stop Nightmare Moon!"

"Nah," Pinkie said, idly juggling a pair of knives with one hand. "I like my plan better."

"Pinkie, what…" Twilight gulped when she saw how the Trickster had changed. Darker, straight hair, empty, emotionless eyes, and a grin that sent shivers down her spine. "What happened to you?"

"What happened? Simple!" Pinkie said. "I was set free!"

"Of what?"

"Having to act like some goody-two-shoes! Thanks to Daddy, I finally realized exactly what it is I want to do!" Pinkie leaned forwards, staring deep into Twilight's eyes. "I wanna see people bleed."

"What are you…" Twilight was silenced by Pinkie putting a finger on her lips and a knife on her throat.

"Shh, shh, shh. No more talking," She said. "Now… just scream."

"Y-you're insane," Twilight said. Pinkie laughed.

"INSANE?! This is the sanest I've ever felt in my entire LIFE! I can finally do what I've always wanted to but never had the GUTS to try!" Pinkie giggled, licking her lips. "I want to kill you. I want to see you bleed. I want to hear you scream as I cut you slowly so slowly I want you to beg me for mercy begging Pinkie don't do this please stop please WELL I'M NOT GOING TO STOP I want to cut you apart and I want to use your guts for garters and I want to show you what your own organs look like and I want to look you in the eyes after I've had my fun and I want to watch you die and then?" Pinkie pointed at four other unconscious bodies on the ground. "I'll do it again."

"You're… you're not Pinkie," Twilight said. 'Pinkie' tilted her head, and then shrugged.

"Whatever."

She pulled back her right arm, the knife in her hand glinting in the meager light.

"I don't care what you call me! I'm the one holding the knife!"

Twilight forced her eyes shut as 'Pinkie' drove the knife towards her stomach, and she waited for the pain.

It never came.

Twilight slowly opened an eye, and saw that 'Pinkie' had grabbed her wrist with her left hand, and the knife had stopped only an inch from her stomach. Twilight and 'Pinkie' both stared at it with matching expressions of confusion. 'Pinkie' grunted, and tried to get her left hand to obey her.

"When… I was a little kiddy… and the sun was… going dooowwn," 'Pinkie' sang through clenched teeth. Her eyes widened. "Why did I start singing? I don't want to sing. I want to – oof!"

Her left hand suddenly let go of her right wrist, and hit 'Pinkie' in her stomach. She dropped her knife out of surprise and stumbled backwards.

"The darkness and the shadows, they would always… make me froooowwwn!" 'Pinkie' sang. "What's happening?! Why am I singing?!"

Her left hand grabbed her own nose between two fingers. "Got your nose!" She yelled, pulling her hand away and sticking her thumb between two fingers.

"No you don't! My nose is still on my face!"

"Then what's it doing in my hand?"

"Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it!"

Twilight could only stare in confusion as 'Pinkie' had an argument with herself, her face switching between being cold and dark to being cheerful and vibrant.

"I'd hide under my pillow from what I thought I saaaawww! But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at aaaalllll!"

"Granny never said that! Not once!"

"Shut up, it's a song."

"Get out of my head!"

"Get out of my body! I won't let you hurt my friends!"

"This…" Twilight said. "Is something else."

"It's my body! I'm doing what you've always wanted to do!"

"I've always wanted to sleep on a bed made of marshmallows! Not kill people!"

"You can't stop me!" The dark 'Pinkie' said, jumping at Twilight with a knife in her one obedient hand. Suddenly, her rogue hand punched her in the face.

"She said, 'Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall! Learn to face your fears! You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear!'" She sang, her face bright. Her face suddenly darkened, and she scowled. "I'm not going to go away if you just laugh at me, you coward!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Bright 'Pinkie' said, punching herself in the face. Dark 'Pinkie' growled in anger. Then, bright 'Pinkie' took over again. It seemed that bright 'Pinkie' had the upper hand in this… whatever was happening.

"Sooo! Giggle at the ghostly!"

She stretched her cheeks and made silly faces.

"Guffaw at the grossly!"

She hit her head against a tree.

"Crack up at the creepy!"

She made farting noises with her armpit.

"Whoop it up with the weepy!"

She did handstands.

"Chortle at the kooky!"

She blew a raspberry on her own arm.

"Snortle at the spooky!"

She touched her nose with her tongue.

"ENOUGH!" She screamed, her face set in a mask of anger. Dark 'Pinkie' clamped her hands over her ears, forcing her left hand to obey her. "This shouldn't be happening! It's not fair! It's not fair! I want to do this! Why are you fighting me?!"

She took two steps towards Twilight, a pair of knives in her hands. "You can't… stop me. I'm the one in control here! And I… do… what… I… want!" She changed her grip on the knives, and brought them down towards Twilight's neck. Twilight, on reflex, clenched her eyes shut.

The knives stopped inches from Twilight's throat. The Arcane Mage opened one eye to see Pinkie's face fighting itself. It was like it had been split down the middle by two conflicting personalities: one half was smiling brilliantly, and the other half was growling through clenched teeth. Slowly, the anger in half of Pinkie's face started to dissipate, being replaced by a smile. Pinkie took a shaky step back. "And tell that big dumb psycho in your head to take a hike and leave you alone and if she thinks she can scare you then she's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... hahahaha...heh..."

She raised her arms, and stabbed herself in the thighs. But she didn't scream out in pain. Instead, she kept on singing.

"Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauugh!"

Pinkie's hair entire body brightened, and her hair exploded, returning to its curly state. She held the note for almost a minute before falling to her knees and panting for breath. After a moment, she looked up at Twilight, giving her the brightest smile she could despite the pain she was obviously in.

"You okay, Twilight?" She asked. Twilight just stared at her.

"Pinkie, what the hell was that?" She finally asked. Pinkie pulled the knives out of her legs, wincing in pain.

"I honestly…" She clenched her teeth as she stood up, hobbling towards Twilight. "…Don't have a clue. Hold still."

Pinkie reached up with one of her still-bloody knives and started to saw through the rope holding Twilight up. Twilight looked at the knife uneasily. When the rope snapped, freeing Twilight, she landed on her feet and quickly tried to step away from Pinkie. Unfortunately, her ankles were also tied together, and she fell. Pinkie giggled at Twilight's mishap.

"Don't worry, Twilight; I'm not gonna bite," She said, crouching to cut Twilight's feet loose.

"Excuse me if I'm a bit apprehensive," Twilight said, scooting away from Pinkie after her feet were freed. "Seriously, what was that?"

"Nothing that's going to happen ever again," Pinkie said confidently, giving Twilight the thumbs-up gesture. "I've got it aaallll under control!"

"You said that you had always wanted to kill people! You almost butchered me!" Twilight said.

"Oh, that was just a silly-willy show of bravado. If I had really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have stopped myself!" Pinkie said. "I mean, were you listening to me? I was all 'Imma cut you and Imma make you bleed and look at me I'm so scary with my widdle knives, ooooh!'" She adopted a goofy accent while she parodied her darker half's scary speech. "Ow my legs hurt. _That was such a dumb idea."_

Twilight had no idea what came over her, but she couldn't stop it. She started to laugh. "Y-you were kind of silly!" She admitted between giggles. "I mean, using my guts for garters? That's just… ridiculous!"

Pinkie joined in the laughter. "I don't care what you call me! I'm the one holding the knife! I'm such a badass!"

Twilight clutched her sides as laughter shook her entire body. "And your – your face, you were like…" She tried to copy dark Pinkie's expression as best she could, but ended up just looking dopey. Pinkie howled with laughter, kicking her legs in the air.

"I can't breathe! I can't bre-he-he-heathe!"

Their laughter echoed through the trees for what felt like hours. Soon, it died off, and Twilight and Pinkie were left giggling on the ground.

"So, you really don't want to kill everybody?" Twilight asked, just to be sure.

"Come on, Twilight, think about it! If I killed everybody, then who'd come to my parties? A party's no fun without other people to enjoy it with!" Pinkie said.

"Didn't you say something like 'thanks to Daddy'? Who's 'Daddy'?" Twilight asked. Pinkie grimaced.

"I'd… rather not talk about that," She said glumly. "Let's just say my family is weird."

Twilight slowly connected the dots. "Pinkie… is your father…"

She was interrupted by the sound of one of the others stirring, still tied up. Twilight and Pinkie both looked at them.

"…What should we tell them?" Twilight asked. Pinkie hummed in thought.

"Leave it to me," She said, limping towards the others with a knife in her hand. She went to work, cutting their ropes. "I'll think of something."

"…and then I said, 'do ya feel lucky, punk' and he was all 'noooo' and then he ran!" Pinkie said, finishing her completely fabricated story about how she had chased the Grand Master away with a water pistol filled with cat urine.

"But, that doesn't explain how you got these," Fluttershy said, her magic sealing up the cuts on Pinkie's thighs. Pinkie's face lit up.

"I was getting to that. See, there were these tiger ninjas that he had with him for back-up…"

"You jus' got 'em when you were fightin' that Shadow Blade guy, didn't you?" Applejack asked, rubbing her eyes in annoyance.

"Well, yeah, but that sounds so boring!" Pinkie said, hopping up. "It's so much more fun to make stuff up!"

"Pinkie…" Rainbow Dash sighed. "Never change."

"No problemo! I'm gonna stay just like I am for a looooong time!" Pinkie said, smiling cheesily. The others all shook their heads at Pinkie's antics.

"Same old Pinkie Pie," Rarity said, brushing herself off. "Shall we carry on?"

"I agree," Fluttershy said, standing up. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm getting tired of trees."

Pinkie gasped. "Fluttershy's getting tired of trees? It's the end of the world!"

"Ah, knock it off, Pinkie," Applejack said with a chuckle.

"Repent! Repent!"

"Are we going or what?" Rainbow Dash asked. The others all nodded, and moved off. Twilight approached Pinkie.

"Don't worry, I won't tell them that you went insane," She whispered. Pinkie giggled.

"I've never been more sane," She said with a comically deep voice. Twilight chortled.

"Pinkie Pie, I will never understand you," She said.

"Me neither, Twilight. Me neither."

"Well, look what the cat dragged in!" Nightshade called out as the bleeding Grand Master stumbled back into the castle. "You look like shit, man."

"Sh-shut up," The Grand Master said. Nightshade landed in front of him.

"So, what happened? You got your ass kicked, I take it?" She asked condescendingly, glancing at the Grand Master's wounds.

"I'm really not in the mood," The Grand Master said, shuffling past Nightshade. She flew ahead of him and cut him off.

"You couldn't kill her either? Lame, man. Lame," She said, shaking her head in disappointment. "Guess that means I'm going to have to step in and do your job for you, huh?"

"Should have left you to rot in that prison," The Grand Master said, shoving her aside.

"Hey, man! Don't fucking hurt my feelings!" Nightshade said, feigning emotional injury.

"You want to try and stop them? Go ahead. Be my guest, you disrespectful brat," The Grand Master said. "Maybe I'll get lucky and you'll be killed. As for the REST of you useless clowns!" He raised his voice to ensure that he was heard by the others. "Be ready to defend the castle when our dear Captain inevitably fails!"

"Yeah? Well, fuck you, too," Nightshade said, flying away. The Grand Master growled, and continued on his search for some bandages.

 **Yeah, I was kind disturbed when I first saw this chapter too, but I got over it. Anyway, next chapter's on the way.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Ch. 12: The Criminal's Offer**

"So, what are we going to do when we finally get to the castle?" Rainbow Dash asked, floating above Twilight's head as they hiked through the Everfree.

"We use the Elements and stop Nightmare Moon," Twilight said. "Weren't you listening to the letter?"

"I was! It's just that there's a few things wrong with that plan!" Rainbow Dash said. "The Princess said there are six elements. We have five, and she said we had to somehow make the sixth. On the way to Nightmare Moon. And, even if we did have the last element, we have no idea how to use them! We can't even get the chest open!"

"The Princess had complete faith in us, Dash," Twilight said. Rainbow Dash laughed.

"We're her Plan B! Six mortals doing what an immortal demigoddess failed at!" She said. "Don't get me wrong, it's great we've made it so far, but we don't really stand much of a chance!"

"If you're having second thoughts about this, then why are you still here?" Twilight asked, glaring at the Elementalist. "If you wanted to, you could just fly right on home to…"

"Twi!"

Applejack grabbed Twilight by the collar just before she could step into empty air. Twilight yelped when she saw that she had nearly stepped off a cliff.

"Watch where you're steppin', knucklehead," Applejack said, yanking Twilight away from the edge.

"I'll be sure to. Thank you," Twilight said. She looked across the canyon, and her eyes lit up. "Look! It's the castle!" She said, pointing to the ruins on the other side.

"Great! Let's go!" Rainbow Dash said, flying across the chasm. She stopped halfway. "Oh, right. You guys can't fly."

"Um, I think there's a bridge over there," Fluttershy said, pointing to a stone drawbridge nearby. Both sides of the old bridge were raised.

"There's probably a mechanism to lower it in there," Twilight said, pointing to the small ruined gatehouse next to the drawbridge on the other side of the canyon.

"I'll see what I can do," Rainbow Dash said. She swooped over to the opposite side of the canyon, and dropped down into the roofless gatehouse.

Rainbow Dash looked around for anything that looked like it would lower the bridge. Finally, she grinned when she saw an old lever sticking out of the rubble. She grabbed it with both hands and tried to pull, but no matter how much she tried, it wouldn't budge.

"Oh, come on!" She grunted, pulling with all her might. "Stupid… lever…!"

"Need a hand with that?" A woman's voice asked, right next to Rainbow Dash's ear. Rainbow Dash turned around quickly, summoning her bow and loosing a fiery arrow. The woman wearing the dark purple and black flightsuit stepped out of the arrow's path and leveled her own bow at Rainbow Dash's head, a crackling bolt of lightning protruding from her finger.

"Too slow," She said. Rainbow Dash suddenly ducked and swept the woman's legs out from under her, knocking her onto her back. Rainbow Dash kicked the woman's bow away, and planted a foot on her chest. She pulled back on her bowstring, and a burning crimson arrow formed from her finger.

"Don't ever call Rainbow Dash slow," The Elementalist warned. The woman pinned to the ground smiled and began to laugh.

"Not bad, kid! In fact, I'd say that was pretty good!" She said. She grabbed Rainbow Dash's foot, and twisted it. Rainbow Dash screamed, and a second later, she was flat on her face under the woman. She couldn't move her hands; they were stuck beneath her. The woman had a knee pressed into the small of her back, and was grabbing her hair with one hand, pulling her head back to put a knife to her throat. "But… not good enough."

"You think this hurts?" Rainbow Dash said. "I've gotten hugs that hurt more than this!"

"I could kill you six different ways from this position, and you're still giving me lip?" The woman said, her smile almost audible. "I like that kind of spunk. You looking for a job?"

"…What."

"A job. J-O-B. Do you want one?" The woman asked. "I'm putting together a team, and I could use people like you."

"What kind of 'team'?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You know the Wonderbolts, yeah? Of course you do. With your skills, you probably spend half your time practicing to get in."

"More like three-quarters."

"Damn, impressive. Anyway, it's like the Wonderbolts, but around a hundred times more awesome," The woman said. "No real name yet, but I like the sound of 'Shadowbolts'. Pretty bitchin', huh?"

"…That does sound pretty awesome," Rainbow Dash admitted. "But how could it be better than the Wonderbolts?"

"Well, for one, we'll be doing stuff that actually matters. A lot more military stuff. Taking orders directly from Queen whats-her-face."

"You mean… Nightmare Moon?

"Yeah, if that's what you wanna call her. You wanna join?"

"What makes you think I'd even consider joining you?"

"Because, kid, believe it or not, you remind me a fuckton of myself when I was your age. I can see it in your eyes. You've got skills, you've got talent, and you are begging people to recognize you for it. That's what you want, yeah? The adoration of the masses, the worship, the power?" The woman whispered in Rainbow's ear. "The Wonderbolts can't give that to you. They're nothing but a flying dance troupe. Join me in the Shadowbolts, and I'll show you real glory."

"Bite me," Rainbow Dash said. She turned her head and bit the Shadowbolt's arm, making her scream and drop the knife. Rainbow Dash was able to pull one of her arms out from under her, and elbowed the Shadowbolt in the face, knocking her off. She rolled away, scooping up her bow and readying a lightning arrow. Her opponent, however, had recovered from Dash's hit, and had her own black bow raised, aiming it at Rainbow Dash with a lightning arrow docked. The Shadowbolt was grinning madly.

"Very nice, very nice! Just what I expected!" She laughed. "Just what the Shadowbolts need!"

"I'm not going to join the Shadowbolts. Nightmare Moon is going to be defeated," Rainbow Dash said. The Shadowbolt smirked.

"Do you really believe that? Because it looks to me like you're having your doubts," She said. "You know it's hopeless. Celestia's dead. I saw it with my own eyes. You can stick with the losers, and inevitably die, or you can join the winning team. With your drive, you might even be good enough to be my second-in-command. After that, who knows? If something awful was to happen to me, then you'd be the captain."

Rainbow Dash glanced over at the other side of the canyon, and saw that the others were trying to get her attention. They were shouting something, but it was too far away to hear clearly. The Shadowbolt noticed where Dash was looking, and she clicked her fingers, causing a dense wave of fog to appear out of thin air, hiding the other side of the canyon. "It's me or them, kid. Better make up your mind," She said.

Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip. On one hand, she was being offered a chance to have power, glory, and fame in the Shadowbolts. She knew full well that joining would probably lead to some morally reprehensible deeds, but the opportunity for glory was overriding that in Dash's mind. On the other hand, she could stay true to her quest, and go up against a demigoddess without anything resembling a plan or even a real way to defeat her.

Rainbow Dash lowered her bow, staring at the Shadowbolt in humility. "…You," She said. The Shadowbolt grinned, and lowered her own bow.

She never knew what hit her.

Rainbow Dash's bow was back up in an instant, and she shot a single ice arrow straight into her opponent's gut. Rainbow Dash would never forget the look of surprise on the Shadowbolt's face as she was thrown backwards by the rough block of ice the size of her head. She crashed into a wall, and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Fuck you," Rainbow Dash said. "I don't abandon my friends."

She kicked the drawbridge lever, and was rewarded by the sound of rusty gears and chains releasing as the two sides of the bridge fell. She flew out of the guardhouse, landing in front of the others as they crossed the bridge.

"Ladies," She said, taking a short bow. "As promised, Rainbow Dash delivers."

"Who was that woman you were talking to?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash scoffed.

"Just another one of my crazy fans. She was trying to get me to be the captain of Nightmare Moon's flying team or something, but, hey, when I start something, I see it through to the end," Rainbow Dash said proudly. Twilight looked past her at the ruined palace.

"Well, we don't have much farther to go," She said. "Let's hurry, girls. The sooner we get to Nightmare Moon, the…"

"You mother FUCKER!" The six mages turned to see the very conscious Shadowbolt flying out of the old guardhouse, a scowl on her masked face. "I give you a chance to join the winning team, and you fucking shoot me?!"

Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed, and she raised her bow, generating an ice arrow. "You girls go on without me. I'll catch up," She said. "Gotta take out the trash."

The Shadowbolt pulled back on her bow and released an icy arrow, which was intercepted by Rainbow Dash's own arrow. "I'll teach you to disrespect your elders!" The Shadowbolt screamed, flying straight at Rainbow Dash.

"Go! Hurry!" Dash ordered, taking off to meet her opponent head-on. The others took her advice, and ran the rest of the way across the bridge, still hearing the sounds of arrows flying as the two Elementalists fought.

The five mages kept on running towards the front gates of the castle. There was one woman standing on top of the castle walls, the moonlight shining through the hole in her noggin.

"It's impressive you made it this far," The Necromancer said, tapping her staff against the stone floor. "But you will go no farther!"

Dozens of rotten Undead burst from the ground around them, moaning. The five mages came to a halt, looking for some way to get out of the current pickle.

"When I tell you t', start runnin'," Applejack whispered, pulling off the armor on her shoulder.

"What are you going to do?" Twilight whispered back.

"I'm goin' t' finish what my family started," Applejack said, and she ran away from the group, sword in one hand and armor in the other. She held the shoulder armor above her head, proudly displaying the marking on it. "YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!" She shouted at the Necromancer, whose eyes were filled with anger as she saw the red apple inscribed on the metal. "MY NAME'S APPLEJACK, PALADIN O' SWEET APPLE CATHEDRAL, AN' PROUD GRANDDAUGHTER O' BISHOP ANNIE SMITH!"

The Necromancer grinned madly as she stared at Applejack with contempt. "An Apple…" She said, her hand tightening on her staff. "Kill the descendent of the damnable woman who defeated me…" She looked at Twilight. "…Or the harmless apprentice."

She clicked her fingers, and the Undead's priorities changed. They turned away from Twilight and the others, and focused on Applejack.

"Get goin'!" Applejack shouted as the Undead started to surround her. Twilight, though not happy with this plan, nodded, and led the charge through the gates.

"Jus' you an' me, now," Applejack said to the Necromancer.

"I am not alone," The Necromancer said, and the Undead pounced.

Twilight was in the lead as they ran through the overgrown courtyard next, and the plants bowed out of their way at Fluttershy's command. All four mages were scanning their surroundings for any threat. They didn't think to look down.

A pair of furry claws burst out of the ground and grabbed Fluttershy's ankles, and the Druid fell with a shriek. Twilight heard it, and quickly turned around to see Fluttershy being dragged into a hole by a werewolf.

"I'm sorry about this!" Fluttershy squeaked, and she jabbed the werewolf in the eye with her staff. The werewolf screamed, and vanished back underground. In response to their pack member's scream, a dozen other werewolves broke out of the ground, surrounding Fluttershy. The Druid met Twilight's eyes, and they reached an unspoken understanding. A wall of greenery shot up between Twilight and the werewolves. "D-don't worry about me! I'll catch up!" Fluttershy shouted over the thorny wall. With a displeased growl, Twilight turned around and ran.

The Druid gulped. "I, uh, I don't suppose you'd like to talk about this?" She asked the werewolves.

They growled.

"Oh, fiddlesticks."

The courtyard gave way to the front hall, a once-opulent room. A single man stood at the foot of the wide stairs, his arms crossed over his chest. "IRON WILL!" The man bellowed, flexing his biceps, "Cannot allow you to pass!"

Rarity's eyes flicked over the man rapidly. Figure of a professional weight-lifter: check. Horn-like hair: check. Huge axe: check.

A fire of righteous rage ignited in Rarity's eyes. She quickly noticed that Iron Will was standing right beneath a large chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling by a single rusting chain. Rarity pointed at the chain, and it became surrounded by a shimmering blue glow. With one sharp tug, the chain snapped, and the chandelier came crashing down on Iron Will.

"Terribly sorry, Twilight," Rarity said, daintily pulling off her gloves, "But I'm afraid I won't be able to go any farther until I beat this man within an inch of his life." Twilight gulped at the almost demonic look in Rarity's eyes, and decided that it was in her best interest not to argue. She and Pinkie Pie kept running, going around Iron Will as he struggled to get out from under the chandelier.

Twilight led Pinkie Pie on a jolly run through the dark hallways, following a path that had been burned into her memory over the years. Left out of the front hall, second right, immediate left, and then third right.

The doors to the Chamber of the Elements were wide open, and one man stood at the end of the hall, between Twilight and her objective. The Grand Master. The old man's eyes widened when he saw Pinkie.

"You're…" Pinkie cut him off by jumping at him with a pair of juggling clubs raised above her head.

"Honk honk, mother hubbard!" She yelled. The Grand Master blocked the juggling clubs with ease, cutting them apart. Pinkie didn't let up, however. She followed up that attack by swinging an oversized mallet, which the Grand Master had a harder time blocking. Twilight ran past them, and the Grand Master growled.

"You will go no farther!" He said, dropping through the shadows at his feet. Pinkie grabbed him by the hood as he fell through the ground, bracing her feet and pulling with all her might. The Grand Master was jerked to a halt halfway through his shadow jump, with his head being held in place by Pinkie Pie and the rest of his body dangling from the ceiling, flailing wildly.

"Go, Twilight! I'll be with you in a minute!" Pinkie shouted to Twilight. Twilight nodded, and kept running.

The Grand Master, having had enough of being stuck, cut his hood off, freeing himself from Pinkie's not-so-diabolical clutches. He dropped to the ground just as Twilight shut the stone doors to the Chamber of the Elements behind her.

"Just you and me now, pops!" Pinkie said cheerfully.

Twilight let out a breath when she was certain the doors were closed. Finally, she could stop running. She'd made it.

The only sound in the large, circular room was that of slow breathing, and Twilight turned to face its source. It was Nightmare Moon, lying against a large, ornate pedestal. She was asleep. Twilight would have started laughing if she hadn't covered her mouth in time. This, apparently, was what Celestia's trap had done.

Twilight opened her Tome, and turned to the page that illustrated the chest that held the Elements. Twilight glanced up at the sleeping, defenseless Nightmare Moon. Then, back at the picture of the chest.

She shook her head, and flipped through her Tome rapidly. She didn't need the Elements. She didn't even know how to use the Elements. Nightmare Moon was asleep, and completely defenseless. A powerful spell would be enough to do her in. And there was one spell in particular that would fit the bill; a spell that Princess Celestia had taught her years ago.

Twilight moved her staff in the air exactly as the diagram in her Tome instructed her to. As she did that, she began to pull in magical energy through her horn-like focus gem, letting it flow into her body and through her Tome, where it was purified and channeled to the gem on her staff, which began to glow brighter and brighter. A bead of sweat dripped from Twilight's forehead as her staff became too bright to look at directly, and the accumulated magic started giving her a slight headache.

"This is for the Princess," Twilight said, and she released her spell. A beam of magic so concentrated, it was almost solid. It glowed like the sun itself, and Twilight had to avert her eyes as it screamed through the air.

Nightmare Moon slapped the concentrated magic out of the air like it was a joke.

Twilight's blood ran cold as the Queen of the Night lifted her head, blinking sleepily. It was too late. She'd failed. Her only chance to stop Nightmare Moon, and she'd failed.

"Well, well, well," Nightmare Moon said, standing up and dusting herself off. "What a rude way to awaken someone."


	13. Chapter 13

**Ch. 13: War In The Ruins**

Twilight could only hear the pounding of her own heart in her chest as one thought repeated itself over and over.

She'd failed. She'd been too slow. She'd failed. Nightmare Moon was awake. She'd failed. She was going to die here. She was going to die.

"Judging by the fact that thou art still amongst the living, shall We presume that Our subordinates failed?" Nightmare Moon asked. "Or didst they capture thee alive so that We might have the pleasure of killing thee Ourselves?"

"I – I am here of – of my own accord," Twilight stammered. "I am here to avenge the death of Princess C-Celestia."

Nightmare Moon looked around the room. "Alone?" She asked. "We did not take thee for such a fool."

"I-I'm more than enough!" Twilight said, the shaking in her voice betraying her confidence. She threw a basic attack spell at Nightmare Moon, but the Queen of the Night blocked it with a wave of her hand.

"Pathetic," She said, blocking another attack. "Thou truly think that thou hast a chance against Us?" Twilight cast a ball of fire at her, but Nightmare Moon brought up a shield made of shadows. "We shall not give thee the privilege of an easy death, Twilight Sparkle. We shall show thee the futility of thy actions! Come!" At Twilight's bidding, a pillar of flames shot up around Nightmare Moon. The flames died almost instantly, showing Nightmare Moon without even a single burn on her. "Try to harm Us! Amuse Us!"

'I can't do it,' Twilight thought as she tore through every spell in her Tome. 'She's too powerful.'

She thought of the others, the mages who had accompanied her this far. 'I can't do this alone.'

A bolt of fire burned past Rainbow Dash's leg as she flew around the tallest remaining tower of the palace. She turned around and fired an arrow of her own at the Shadowbolt, but the agile flier chasing her dodged it with minimal effort.

"This is seriously pathetic! You really wanted to join the Wonderbolts with those skills?" The Shadowbolt fired three arrows in rapid succession, and Rainbow Dash was only able to dodge one of them. The other two icy-blue arrows hit her feet, sealing them in blocks of ice.

"Shit!" Rainbow Dash cursed as she realized that the ice wasn't supposed to hurt her. It was supposed to slow her down.

"Don't make me laugh!" The Shadowbolt roared as she sped to catch up with Rainbow Dash. She delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Dash's side, making the Elementalist scream.

"You're not even tough enough to make me sweat!" She pulled her fist back to throw a punch, but Rainbow Dash abruptly slowed down, letting the punch whiz past her head. She flew away while the Shadowbolt was still taken by surprise, making a beeline for the nearest wall of the palace.

Without holding back, she slammed both of her feet toes-first into the wall, shattering the ice off her feet. She looked over her shoulder, and saw her adversary flying straight for her at breakneck speeds. She held back a grin, and didn't move to avoid.

Just before the collision, Rainbow Dash flew straight up, giving the Shadowbolt a clear path to crash into the wall.

The Shadowbolt turned on a hair when there was only an inch of space between her face and the wall, flying after Rainbow Dash with her bow ready. Rainbow Dash fired a lightning arrow, but the Shadowbolt rolled to avoid it. Rainbow Dash grunted, and did something stupid, even by her standards. She stopped flying, and let herself fall.

"Later, bitch!" She said quickly as she fell past the Shadowbolt at terminal velocity. As she fell, Rainbow Dash shot one arrow straight up. The cloudy-gray arrow flew past the Shadowbolt's ear, but Rainbow Dash hadn't been trying to hit her. The Shadowbolt was swept up by the gale of wind following the arrow, losing her sense of direction as she was tossed around like a ragdoll.

After a few seconds where she couldn't tell up from down, she was sent flying away, tumbling head over heels as she tried to get control over her body. Rainbow Dash flew to intercept her, and grabbed her leg.

The Shadowbolt felt herself being swung around, the earth and sky blurring in her vision. If she hadn't been such an experienced flier, it would have made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Eat dirt!" Rainbow Dash yelled, finally releasing the Shadowbolt's leg. She crashed into the ground head-first.

"BOO-YEAH!" Rainbow Dash hooted, looking down at her defeated opponent. "Who's the queen of the skies? I think I am!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, shut up!"

Rainbow Dash stopped mid-cheer. She looked back down at the ground, and saw the Shadowbolt standing up, a bit bruised, but none the worse for wear.

"Oh, come on! How are you still standing?!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "You just hit the ground face-first!"

"Nothing I haven't been through before," The Shadowbolt said, rubbing her skull. "That aside, I'm actually pretty impressed. I think I might actually have to stop holding back. Wait, dammit, my hood's all fucked up." She ripped off the tattered hood, and shook her head to loosen up her dark blue hair. "There we go."

"…You," Rainbow Dash said, her eyes wide. "You're…"

"What? Recognize me?" The most infamous killer in Mystica, the murderer of four Wonderbolts (and one janitor) asked, smirking.

"Nightshade," Rainbow Dash growled, clenching her teeth.

"That's me, alright," The traitorous Wonderbolt said. "Got a problem with me?"

"Hell yes, I do," Rainbow Dash said, her face a mask of seriousness. She tossed her bow away and cracked her knuckles. "You deserve every last bit of the beating I am about to give you."

"Oh, you're trying to look tough in front of the big, bad murderer? I'm so scared! Somebody save me from this fangirl's righteous f-" Nightshade stopped talking right after that, due to the sudden introduction of Rainbow Dash's fist to her face.

"For Cloud Cover!" The Elementalist said. An image flashed through Nightshade's mind of a handsome man wearing a Wonderbolts flightsuit, lying on the ground with a hole through his chest. "For Windswept! For Comet Tail! For Speed O'Sound!" Each name was punctuated by another hit and another image in her mind.

"For-!" Nightshade caught Rainbow Dash's fist, and twisted it, producing a loud crack. Rainbow Dash screamed.

"You think you're fucking better than me?!" Nightshade screamed. With her other hand, she slammed Rainbow Dash in the stomach, going on the offensive. "You think I'm the one who was in the wrong?! You don't even know why I killed them! You don't fucking understand!"

"You were throwing a tantrum! You killed five people because you didn't get to be captain!" Rainbow Dash said, blocking Nightshade's attack with her one good hand.

"Shut up! I should have been captain! Me! Not that fucking brat, Spitfire! I taught that kid everything she knew! Before me, she could hardly fly in a straight fucking line! But she got the captain's bars instead of me, just because our fucking sponsors wanted a younger captain! Just because of that! Was it so wrong to show them why they should have chosen me?!"

"Don't try to justify what you did! You murdered four Wonderbolts at that award ceremony!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Nightshade screamed, swinging her arms without any semblance of control. Rainbow Dash leaned back to avoid an attack, and Nightshade was left wide open.

"For Squeaky Clean!" Rainbow Dash said, and her good fist snaked out and hit Nightshade in the chin with what felt like enough force to drop a gorilla. The Shadowbolt's mind went blank, and she hit the dirt.

"I can't believe I used to be in your fanclub," Rainbow Dash said, wincing as she twisted her hand back into place. "You fucking monster."

She grabbed her bow off the ground, and shot four arrows at the dazed Shadowbolt without a trace of remorse. Then, her work done, she slung her bow over her shoulder and walked away.

"H-hold it," The Shadowbolt croaked as her mental faculties returned to her. "Wh-where do you think you're going? I'm not d-done with you."

"Well, I'm done with you," Rainbow Dash said, not even looking back. "I'll make sure somebody comes by to get you after we finish off Nightmare Moon." She grinned. "Of course, they're gonna need an icepick."

"You bitch!" Nightshade shouted, trying to pull her hands and feet out of the ice sealing them to the ground. "Get back here and fucking kill me! You coward!"

"Nah," Rainbow Dash said dismissively. "You're not worth the effort."

"You think I wanna spend the rest of my life rotting in prison?! Fuck no! Do you not have the fucking spine to kill one defenseless murderer?!"

Rainbow Dash stopped walking, and looked over her shoulder at Nightshade. "Don't lump me together with the likes of you."

"Bitch!"

"I guess I am," Rainbow Dash said.

And so she kept on walking, until she could only faintly hear Nightshade screaming at her.

Applejack was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, she was a bit in over her head. There was a world of difference between the Undead in the forest and the Undead here. In the forest, they had been slow, sluggish, and could probably be outwitted by the common brick. But now? They were fast, they reacted quickly, and they actually worked together. Applejack was fairly certain that it was due to the presence of the Necromancer. The same Necromancer who was taunting her from a place out of Applejack's reach.

"Feeling tired, Paladin?" The Necromancer called down from atop the walls. "I'd be more than happy to accept an unconditional surrender. You'd make a lovely addition to my army."

"I'll die before you turn me int' an Undead!" Applejack shouted back, throwing off an Undead that had managed to grab her by the shoulder. It knocked down several other Undead, and they struggled to stand back up.

"Yes, that's kind of the point," Her opponent said, looking at her fingernails.

"Don't joke around with me, Necromancer!" Applejack said, a wide swing cutting a swath through the Undead. "My family defeated your kind once! I can do it again!"

"Clearly, you didn't do a very good job during your senseless crusades," The Necromancer said, gesturing at herself. "You missed one. Do you know who I am, girl?"

"I know that…" Applejack blocked a sword strike. "…that you're a disgustin' sycophant, leechin' off the dead!"

"Ooh, a sycophant?" The Necromancer repeated. "Such a big word! I'm so impressed!" Her face lost its mocking grin, and became stoic. "But, of course, my name is one you are doubtlessly familiar with. I was High Matriarch of the Crawling Crypt coven, the very mind behind the war! I have existed for two hundred years, laughing in the face of death itself! I am Chrysalis, the Queen of the Crypt!"

"Ha!" Applejack laughed. "My Granny mopped the floor with ya, you halfwit lich!"

"It was an even battle! I only feigned defeat so I could strike once more!" Chrysalis insisted.

"You mean you played dead!"

"It's a legitimate tactic! And it worked! I've been gathering my strength in the Everfree Forest for fifty years! I command hundreds of Undead now, all waiting for the Queen to lead us into Camelot!"

"Twenty-seven!" Applejack shouted, ducking under an Undead's sword. Chrysalis blinked in confusion.

"I beg your pardon?" She asked.

"Twenty-seven members o' the Apple Family! Priests, Clerics, Paladins, an' Preachers, all o' them!" Applejack said, cutting through another Undead. "Ten turned the tides o' the war fifty years back, an' do you know how many it's gonna take t' defeat you?"

Applejack split an Undead skull in half. "One!"

Then, she saw stars as an Undead slammed her in the back of the head with a warhammer.

With her vision swimming and knees weak, Applejack resolved to invest in a helmet the moment she got home.

A pair of Undead grabbed her arms, forcing her up to her knees. Applejack's sword fell from her hands, and thumped to the ground. Applejack's vision quickly returned, and she looked up to see Chrysalis standing in front of her, a small, pleased smile on her face.

"Don't worry, little Paladin," Chrysalis said, lifting Applejack's chin with her staff. "You'll forget about the pain soon."

She swung her staff into Applejack's face, and the Paladin could feel the blood it spilled. "Your family may have defeated me once before, but this time, I will have the advantage." Smack. "The Queen has promised me power in exchange for my services; power enough to wipe your pathetic Cathedral off the face of Mystica." Smack. "Your family will die, and I will not let them stay dead." Smack. "Eternal servitude to me. That is the fate that awaits them, and you."

"I'll never… be your pawn…" Applejack said.

"Stupid girl," Chrysalis laughed. "You won't have a choice." She raised her staff like an axe, and Applejack steeled her resolve.

With a roar of exertion, she tore her arms free of her Undead captors, and sprang forward, headbutting Chrysalis in the stomach. The Necromancer was knocked flat on her back by the surprise attack. Applejack scooped up her sword, and with a scream, brought it down.

The blade passed clean through Chrysalis's chest, and the Necromancer stared at it in shock.

"May the Goddess…" Applejack panted. "Have mercy… on your soul."

Chrysalis hissed as her skin started to dissolve. She tried to curse Applejack with her dying breath, but having a sword through her lungs prevented that. Thus, she could only hiss and spit at the Paladin as Death finally took his due. In moments, Chrysalis was nothing more than a skeleton, which still struggled and clacked its jaws at Applejack. Finally, even that dissolved, leaving behind only a skeletal staff and a ratty black robe.

Applejack sighed, and stood up. She looked around at the Undead, who were staring at her in silence. Applejack slowly crossed herself.

"In the name o' Faust," She said. "Rest in peace."

The Undead turned their faces to the skies and let out a deep sigh as their bodies crumbled. Applejack stood alone as the wind claimed the dust. "Ashes t' ashes, dust t' dust," She said. "Amen."

"Hey, Applejack, if you're gonna try to make yourself look cool, don't do it when there's only one person watching," Rainbow Dash said, appearing at Applejack's side. The Paladin's eye twitched.

"I wasn't tryin' t' look 'cool'," She said. "How long've you been watchin'?"

"A few minutes," Rainbow Dash said casually. "Ever since Lady Holier-Than-Thou was going to town on you with that staff."

"Hold on, 'Lady Holier-Than-Thou'? She was a Necromancer! How was she…" Applejack's face fell as she figured it out. "…Oh. Rainbow Dash, I oughta smack you for that pun."

"Whatever. It was worth it."

"An' I should slug ya for not givin' me a hand."

"Looked like you had everything under control to me," Rainbow Dash said. "I would have jumped in if it ever really looked like you needed help."

"Sure. Let's get goin'. We gotta catch up with the others."

Fluttershy gulped as she looked around at the werewolves surrounding her. They were slowly getting closer and closer to her, growling deeply. She tried to hide behind her staff, but she had the strangest feeling they weren't buying it.

"You're… sure you don't want to let me go?" She asked nervously.

"You have escaped us once before," One of the werewolves, probably the Alpha, said. "It will not happen again."

"Um, I think you'd really be a lot better off if you just… just let me be. Really, you would," Fluttershy said. The werewolves laughed at her.

"Was that supposed to be a threat?!" The Alpha barked. "I have hunted scarier field mice!"

"I'm w-warning you," Fluttershy said, raising her staff shakily. "B-b-back off."

"There's no Ursa to save you here, furless-one," The Alpha said. "Enough talk. Kill her!"

As one, the werewolves attacked. Fluttershy clenched her eyes shut and whispered a very quick apology under her breath.

The gnarled tip of her staff started to glow. And the courtyard exploded into a frenzy of growth.

The Diamond Dogs barked in surprise as new plants burst out of the ground beneath them, entwining them with thick, woody vines. The vines kept on growing, lifting the Diamond Dogs higher and higher, until Fluttershy's staff stopped glowing.

A single druid against a group of enemies, in the middle of a courtyard filled with overgrown plants?

It was no contest.

"What is this?! Let me go! You call this a fight?!" The Alpha screamed, struggling against the vines.

"I said that you should have let me go," Fluttershy reminded him.

"I refuse to be defeated like this! Let me down! I demand an honorable battle that will be spoken of for generations!" The Alpha yelled. Fluttershy shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really not one for fights," Fluttershy said. "I'm just a druid. If you wanted a real fight, you should have waited for Applejack or Rainbow Dash. Of course… I doubt they would have been as merciful as me."

The Alpha gulped at Fluttershy's veiled threat. "D-don't think this is over! The Diamond Dogs will hunt you down!" He swore.

"Um, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the fight is pretty much over," Fluttershy said, walking away. "Don't worry, the plants will let you go in a couple hours. Until then, just hang tight." Fluttershy giggled. "Oh, I'm sorry. That was a very bad pun."

"I WILL TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT, FURLESS ONE! I SWEAR IT!" The Alpha shouted at the receding Druid.

"Just relax, Roh-Ver," A diminutive werewolf said calmly. "The more you struggle, the tighter they get."

"SHUT UP, SPAHT!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash stared at the scene in front of them. The werewolves, hanging from enormous plants like ugly, furry fruit, and Fluttershy – sweet, innocent, would-try-to-nurse-an-injured-fly-back-to-health Fluttershy – walking away from them as if this sort of thing happened all the time.

"…Let's not ask," Rainbow Dash suggested. Applejack nodded, and hurried to catch up with Fluttershy.

"Are you sure you don't need a hand?"

"Iron Will…" Attempt to pose. Failure. "Has it under control."

"Well, hurry it up, then," Rarity said, going over her nails with a file. "I'd like to beat the sun-loving shit out of you, and I can't do that if you're stuck under a chandelier."

"Ma'am… you would do well…" The chandelier creaked as Iron Will started to push himself off the ground. "…Not to underestimate…" Like Atlas from ancient myth, he stood up, holding the massive chandelier over his head. "…Iron…" He threw the chandelier away like it was nothing, letting it smash into a wall. "WWWIIIIILLLL!"

"Finally," Rarity said, putting her nailfile away.

"No job is too dirty! No risk is too high! If you've got a problem that can only be solved by brute force and cold steel, then IRON WILL!" Pose. "Is the man to call!"

"Enough talk," Rarity said, magically lifting a few crystal-cut pieces of glass from the remains of the chandelier. They orbited Rarity as she ran her hands over them one by one, placing Enchantments on them. "I'm here to fight."

"Then Iron Will!" Pose. "Shall oblige!"

He moved much faster than Rarity would have expected from a man his size. Rarity was within his attack range in a heartbeat, and she was only barely able to block his attack by intercepting his axe with a crystal Enchanted to be like diamond.

Imagine her surprise when Iron Will's axe, after a moment of struggle, smashed it like it was made of normal glass.

The fake crystal's sacrifice was not in vain, however. It bought Rarity enough time to get away from Iron Will, and prepare a counterattack. Rarity selected a crystal with a fire Enchantment, and hurled it at Iron Will's chest. He just grabbed it out of midair – with his bare hands – and crushed it.

"Oh, you're joking," Rarity said.

"Iron Will!" Pose. Rarity was starting to get tired of that. "Does not joke!"

Rarity launched another crystal at him. He knocked it aside with his axe. She threw another. He turned his body slightly so it flew past him. Once more. He blocked it. With his face.

"…Alright, new tactic," Rarity said. Iron Will's leather armor started to glow blue. He looked down at it in confusion. Rarity grunted as she beckoned the armor to rise, along with its wearer. The breastplate lifted a tiny bit off Iron Will's shoulders, but the mercenary's feet stayed firmly planted on the ground.

"Iron Will finds this almost pitiful."

"I swear, the second I…" Rarity noticed something fall out of Iron Will's breastplate and flutter to the ground. She pointed at it, and the piece of paper flew over to her. Iron Will's eyes shot open as Rarity plucked the paper from the air and started to unfold it.

"THAT BELONGS TO IRON WILL!" The mercenary shouted, and he jumped at Rarity, arms outstretched. The Enchantress hopped back a bit, and Iron Will belly flopped onto the ground. She was looking at the picture in her hands appraisingly. "Um… Will you please return that to Iron Will?" The mercenary asked politely.

"Very pretty," Rarity said. "Is it yours?"

Iron Will stood up and snatched the picture out of Rarity's hands. He tucked it carefully back into his armor. "Not yet," He said. "But after this job, it will be."

"Buying a home is certainly a large commitment," Rarity said. "Especially one so lovely."

Iron Will sighed, forgetting about the battle. "Three bedrooms, four bath, two stories. Right on the beach," He said. "It was love at first sight. Iron Will hopes to stay there the rest of his life, just relaxing in the sun and living off the royalties from the book he'll write."

Rarity blinked. "Wait… relaxing in the sun?" She repeated. "You, ah, do know what Nightmare Moon's motives are, correct?"

"Of course Iron Will does! Rulership of all Mystica!"

"…And?"

"Eternal night!"

"…And you realize what that means?" Rarity asked.

"Iron Will is not a fool! It means that… that…" Iron Will's jaw hung open as he finally connected the dots. "…That there will be no sun. Which means Iron Will won't be able to work on his tan." He palmed his face, and sat down. "Dammit, Iron Will is an idiot."

"It's alright," Rarity said, patting Iron Will on the shoulder. "My friends and I are going to stop Nightmare Moon, so you can still get your tan."

"Nope," Iron Will said sullenly. "Gotta stop you."

"But if you stop us, then Nightmare Moon wins, and…"

"Iron Will is a mercenary. It doesn't matter if Iron Will doesn't agree with what his employer wants; they're paying Iron Will, so he has to follow their orders," The bulky mercenary said. "Which means Iron Will is going to have to kill you now."

"I was afraid of that," Rarity said, keeping a hand on Iron Will's shoulder. "Truth be told, I was actually hoping you would say that. I'm certain that you've noticed by now, but… I'm an Enchantress."

"…And?" Iron Will asked.

"I can imbue magical properties on items just by touching them," Rarity said.

"Why are you telling Iron Will th-" The mercenary noticed that Rarity had a hand on his armored shoulder. "Oh, dammit."

"I couldn't have put it any better myself," Rarity said. The focus gems on her tiara glowed briefly, and she took her hand off Iron Will's shoulder. The mercenary tried to move, but found that he couldn't. "The Immobility Enchantment. I doubt even you could fight against that."

"Iron Will shall be the judge of that," The mercenary said. He clenched his teeth and struggled to at least lift his arm, but the leather armor covering it refused to budge. Iron Will's face started to turn cherry red. He let out a breath, and his face returned to normal color. "…Iron Will has judged that he is pretty much screwed."

"Quite thoroughly," Rarity said, pulling a long, purple scale out of her dress. "Now, this may be a tall order for you, but… hold still."

"Um, what are you going to do with that?" Iron Will asked nervously.

"Issue justice," Rarity said. "You committed a terrible crime, Iron Will. You destroyed Stvenmgnyt's beautiful mustache."

"That river dragon?"

"Yes. That river dragon. With this scale, I am going to take vengeance for his loss," Rarity said, a demonic look in her eyes. Iron Will could feel himself starting to sweat.

"Y-y-you're not going to… It was a mustache! You don't have to… d-don't! NOOO!"

"What…"

"The…"

"Heck?"

"Ah, Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy! How nice of you to join me!" Rarity said, turning away from her work. "Tell me, what do you think?" She stepped aside, to reveal a very cross-looking Iron Will, whose head had been completely shaved.

"Iron Will is not amused," He said.

"Oh, don't be so fussy," Rarity said, patting Iron Will on the cheek. "The Immobility Enchantment should only last a few hours. After that, you'll be free to go."

"Iron Will will get you for this. He swears it."

"Of course you will," Rarity said. "Girls? Shall we go catch up with Twilight and Pinkie?"

"Uh, okay," Rainbow Dash said, and the four mages filed out of the front hall, leaving Iron Will alone, sitting immobile in the middle of the room.

He sighed. "Perhaps Iron Will should consider new employment opportunities," He said to himself. "Iron Will has always wanted to be a motivational speaker."

An untrained eye would have been able to follow the battle, but it wouldn't have been able to figure out exactly what was going on. The Grand Master's sword clashed against whatever Pinkie Pie had in her hands at the moment – she was randomly cycling through various 'weapons', such as sledgehammers, juggling clubs, bouncy balls, pogo sticks, and unicycles – and the Grand Master dove through shadows left and right, vanishing from one spot and reappearing in another.

"Give up, Pinkamena!" The Grand Master ordered, his sword throwing up sparks as it clanged against Pinkie's pogo stick.

"Why won't you realize that your actions are futile?!"

"Because I'm a bit stubborn! I got it from you!" Pinkie shouted back. "Why won't you realize that I'm not going to switch sides?!"

"Because you're my daughter, dammit!" Clyde, the father, yelled. "I only want what is best for my child!"

"You can't judge what's best for me!" Pinkie said, lobbing a water balloon at her father. He slashed the balloon in midair without realizing what it was, and ended up getting drenched.

"Dammit, girl!" Clyde shouted, wiping the water out of his eyes. "Your little party tricks aren't going to be enough to stop me!" He dropped through the shadows at his feet, and reformed behind Pinkie. The Trickster mage had evidently been expecting this, and she flipped over her father, using his head to boost herself.

"I could beat you in my sleep! You're just lucky I'm not very tired!" Pinkie said. Clyde groaned.

"You used to be such a quiet girl," He mused, kicking at her. "What happened?"

"Believe it or not, I almost got hit by a rainbow!"

"What?" Clyde winced as Pinkie brought a strange, long horn to her lips and blew, producing a sound like a thousand angry bees buzzing around his head. It wasn't very pleasant. He successfully fought the urge to clamp his hands over his ears to block out the hellish noise, and cut the horn in two with one slash. Pinkie cried out in anguish.

"My favorite vuvuzela!"

"Are you trying to fight me or get on my nerves?! If you want to win, you have to actually try!" Clyde said, slashing at Pinkie, who nimbly avoided his attacks. "You're a Shadow Blade, no matter how much you try to deny it! That episode in the forest only proved that! You can't deny the power the shadows hold!"

"I… am not…" Pinkie jumped back, and vanished through the shadows. Clyde let himself smile a bit in victory. She'd used her ancestral abilities without the influence of the Heart's Desire. "…A Shadow Blade!" Pinkie jumped out of the shadows only inches in front of him. She scored a clean uppercut to Clyde's chin.

"SHORYUKEN!" She shouted, and Clyde stopped smiling.

"I'm Pinkie Pie! I do what I want!" Pinkie announced proudly as she went on the offensive against her dazed father. She kneed him in the gut, elbowed him in the ribs, and, to add insult to injury, hit him in the face with a pie. Then, she hugged him.

"I love you, Daddy," She said quietly. "This might sting a bit."

She let go of Clyde, and fell through the shadows. The Grand Master pulled the (blueberry) pie off his face and threw it away, wiping off the gooey mess it left behind. He quickly regretted doing that.

"PARTY CANNON!" Pinkie screamed, sitting atop the powder blue siege equipment. It fired like an oversized party popper, and Clyde was hit by a mass of streamers, confetti, and balloons being fired at terminal velocity. He hit the wall, and lost consciousness.

Pinkie swung her legs off the Party Cannon, and hopped over to her father. She took a stethoscope out of her pocket and put it to his chest, and was rewarded by the sound of his heartbeat.

The Trickster dug her hand into her pocket again, and pulled out a large, stone-gray blanket. She draped it over her unconscious father, giving him the illusion of being a simple rock.

"Okie-dokie," Pinkie said, standing up. She looked at the sealed doors to the Chamber of the Elements. "Now, Twi needs my help!" She paused. "Or maybe I should wait for the others...?"

The only thing that Twilight dared to think about was how she had failed. She'd been wrong. In some corner of her mind, she had told herself that she'd be able to defeat Nightmare Moon on her own, if not through brute strength then by some cunning strategy.

That wasn't happening.

There was a reason Nightmare Moon and Celestia were considered demigoddesses. They were the most powerful beings in existence, capable of feats of magical power that could move the sun and moon. A single mortal had no chance of defeating one of them in a fair fight.

"How is it that thou became Celestia's apprentice at such a young age?" Nightmare Moon asked, deflecting every single spell Twilight threw at her. "Was it through some shrewd political connections? Bribery? Because, clearly…" She held out both hands, caught Twilight's net-like spell, and tore it apart. "…It was not for thy skills."

"Princess Celestia chose me because she saw that I had raw talent!" Twilight said, casting a magical rope around Nightmare Moon. She just laughed.

"There is a vast difference between raw talent…" She broke the ropes like they were nothing. "…And true skill. If thou had but an inkling of true skill, thou might stand a slight chance against Us. But now… thou art but a child that breathes now only because We wish it."

"I can still stop you, even without using the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight said, knowing in her heart that it wasn't true.

"If thou truly believe that, then thou art a greater fool than We thought," Nightmare Moon said. With one bored swipe of her hand, Twilight was hit by an invisible force, and she slammed into the doors. For a split second, she saw stars as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. She collapsed to the ground, magical exhaustion finally catching up with her. "Face the facts, child. Thou hast failed. Failed thy Princess, failed thy nation, failed thy countrymen, failed thy friends…" Nightmare Moon began to gather magic. "And now… thou shall die."

Twilight closed her eyes, knowing there was no way to escape her fate. She was going to die. She was going to die here, alone.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie

Oh, the irony. On the brink of death, she could only think about those five people.

There was a mighty roar of noise. If Twilight's face had not been on the cold, hard floor, she would have seen the door be blown off its hinges, and she would have seen the expression of sheer bewilderment on Nightmare Moon's face the second before the door hit her. Magical defenses were notoriously useless against heavy stone doors.

"Twilight!" Five voices called out in unison. There was the sound of rapid footsteps, and Twilight felt herself being pulled to her feet.

"Sorry we're late, Twilight. Got a bit waylaid," Applejack said.

"Didn't take me that long," Rainbow Dash bragged.

"I'm just glad we're all okay," Fluttershy said, applying her magic to Twilight and rejuvenating her.

"And surprisingly none the worse for wear," Rarity said.

"Woohoo! Now the ass-kicking can start!" Pinkie cheered.

Twilight looked at the five mages she'd come so far with. Who'd saved her life at least a dozen times over the past few hours. She felt relief that they had come to support her, but she didn't understand why. They were just her companions. Her cohorts. Her travelling partners. Her allies. Her partners. Her…

Hell, no point denying it any longer.

Her friends.

Twilight's pupils grew until they eclipsed her irises.

honesty loyalty kindness generosity laughter

 _"Have I ever lied?"_

 _"When I start something, I see it through to the end."_

 _"All creatures deserve to be shown a little kindness."_

 _"I enjoy working pro bono."_

 _"Just laugh to make them disappear."_

It clicked.

Twilight Sparkle smiled.

"I…" She said to her friends, "Am such an idiot."

"Huh?" They all said. Twilight stood up under her own power, and opened her Tome. The heavy, ornate chest materialized in front of her, and she gently lay a hand on it.

"I understand now, Princess," She said. "I've finally figured out what you were trying to teach me." There was a click, and the chest swung open. Five stone orbs sat on velvet cushions inside it, each one bearing a carving of a different shape. An octagon, a diamond, a triangle, a hexagon, and a kite.

"Are those…?" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing at the Elements.

"The Elements of Harmony," Twilight said. "Hold this." She picked up one of the orbs, and handed it to Rainbow Dash. She passed out the rest of the orbs, one to each of the mages except for herself.

"Y'know, this might sound weird but, I was kinda thinkin' they'd be a bit more…" Applejack trailed off, shaking her Element as if she was expecting it to make a sound.

"Grand?" Rarity suggested, tapping hers.

"Yeah, exactly."

"They're still asleep," Twilight said. "They just need to be…"

There was a twinge in the back of Twilight's mind. Her eyes snapped up, and she threw up a shield, acting purely on instinct. A blast of darkness crashed against it, and Twilight's friends jumped back in shock.

"Do you mind?!" Twilight shouted at the utterly pissed-off demigoddess who had just recovered from being hit by a door. "I'm trying to talk to my friends!"

"Do not think that simply because thou now possess the Elements that We are defeated!" Nightmare Moon yelled. "They still lie dormant!"

Twilight Sparkle grinned as the five orbs began to glow. "You were saying?" She asked. Her five friends and Nightmare Moon all bore matching expressions of surprise and confusion.

"Im-impossible," Nightmare Moon breathed.

"Not at all," Twilight said. "The Elements of Harmony are reacting to their chosen Bearers. Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, and Laughter; these five represent the pinnacle of these virtues. Let me introduce you."

"Applejack…" The Paladin gave a start as Twilight said her name. "…Who never even considered lying about the odds of her prayer's success, even if doing so would have made us less nervous, represents the Element of Honesty!"

"Aw, shucks," Applejack said sheepishly. The Element in her hands turned into pure light, and reformed around her neck as a gold necklace with an orange, apple-shaped gem.

"Rainbow Dash…" The Elementalist smiled proudly. "…Who stayed true to her friends, even when faced with an irresistible offer, represents the Element of Loyalty!"

"Aw, man, it's not going to be a girly necklace, is it?" Rainbow Dash asked nervously. Her Element turned into light and reformed in the same manner as Applejack's, producing an identical gold necklace, except the gem was a stylized red lightning bolt. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "…This isn't so bad," She decided.

"Fluttershy…" The Druid squeaked. "…Who sought a peaceful solution to a problem that seemed like it could only be solved by violence, represents the Element of Kindness!"

"Oh, I… Really, anybody would have done the same thing," Fluttershy said as her Element reformed on her neck. The same gold necklace, except with a pink butterfly gem.

"Rarity…" The Enchantress nodded. "…Who gave away her own hair without asking for any reward, represents the Element of Generosity!"

"Well, I've never been one to turn down free jewelry," Rarity said as her necklace formed. Again, gold, with a purple diamond-shaped gem.

"Pinkie Pie…" The Trickster grinned. "…Who was able to dispel the darkness in her heart by making fun of it, represents the Element of Laughter!"

"Hold on, 'dispel the darkness in her heart'?" Rainbow Dash repeated.

"Long story, tell you later! Ooh, shiny!" Pinkie said, her eyes reflecting the blue balloon-shaped gem on her necklace.

"Thou think this scares Us?" Nightmare Moon asked. "Thou still lack the final Element!"

"Then I guess I'll just have to make it," Twilight said. She raised her staff, and smashed it against the ground. The purple and white starburst-shaped gem that formed the staff's focal point snapped off, and Twilight scooped it up.

"Art thou mad?" Nightmare Moon asked.

"We'll see," Twilight said. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out Princess Celestia's tiara. "Princess Celestia told me that when I finally learned what she had been trying to teach me, the Element of Magic would be ready to return. Well…" She looked back at her friends. "…I did. I realized that she was trying to teach me that there are some things that can't be taken care of alone. That friendship isn't a waste of time. And I know now, without a doubt, that these people…"

She brought the gem and the tiara together.

"Are my friends!"

There was a burst of blinding white light, making Nightmare Moon cover her eyes. When it faded, she saw the impossible. The gem from Twilight's staff and Celestia's tiara had fused together, and the magic it was emitting was almost palpable.

"…Wow. I didn't actually think that would work," Twilight said as she placed the new Element of Magic on her head. "So, uh, what happens n-"

The six Elements of Harmony gave off a pulse of light, and the eyes of the Bearers turned completely white. Nightmare Moon visibly jumped back, fear on her face.

 _ **"The Elements of Harmony are once again whole,"**_ The six Bearers said as one. _**"Nightmare Moon, your time is up."**_

 _"Wow, that sounded freaky."_

 _"Rainbow Dash? Was that you?"_

 _"Rarity? Holy crap, am I reading your mind?"_

 _"Sakes alive, I can hear both o' you!"_

 _"Oh, my. Maybe it's because of the Elements?"_

 _"Twilight, you feel like tellin' us what's goin' on?"_

 _"Fluttershy was right, Applejack. It's because of the Elements. We're all linked together, now. Soul, body, and mind."_

 _"And how do you know that?"_

 _"Not a clue."_

 _"Oh my gosh, this is so awesome! Echo! Echo!"_

 _"Knock it off, Pinkie."_

"Th-this changes nothing!" Nightmare Moon yelled. "We do not fear thee simply because thou control the Elements! We are the Queen of these lands! We are invincible! The six of thee stand not a chance!"

 _"Sheesh, she just keeps on yakking."_

 _"What say we finish what we came here t' do, gals?"_

 _"I'm in!"_

 _"Well, since there's no way we can just talk her out of it… okay."_

 _"I concur. But… how?"_

 _"Simple. We kick some tail."_

Six pairs of eyes began to glow in concert. _**"We are one."**_

The six mages sharing one mind attacked in perfect unison. Twilight fired bolt after bolt of magic at Nightmare Moon, using only her bare hands. While the dark demigoddess was distracted by that, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie charged forwards. Twilight's assault stopped just as Applejack's began, and the Paladin's sword clashed against the demigoddess's spear. While Applejack and Nightmare Moon traded blows, Rainbow Dash flew around them, firing arrows at chinks in Nightmare Moon's defenses.

Applejack jumped back, and crouched down, letting Pinkie use her back as a springboard. The Trickster swung at Nightmare Moon's head with a sledgehammer, but it was easily blocked by the monarch's spear. Leaving her wide open. An Enchanted rock, thrown by the combined telekinesis of Twilight and Rarity, slammed into her stomach, and knocked her flat onto her back. The stone floor around her cracked, and a plethora of vines and weeds reached up to grab her, tying her to the ground with their iron-like grips. Her eye twitched.

"I… have had…"

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash prepared to hit Nightmare Moon all at once. Suddenly, they stopped. Applejack and Pinkie hung in midair above Nightmare Moon, and Rainbow Dash's arrows just stopped.

 **"ENOUGH!"**

The three mages were sent flying, and were saved from crashing into a wall by Fluttershy raising some large, leafy plants to catch them. They rolled to the ground, and quickly got back up.

"I will NOT be defeated by six mortals! Six children! The Elements of Harmony shall not stop me! They art but toys in thy hands!" Nightmare Moon ranted, as all the shadows in the room started to gather behind her. "I am Mystica's true ruler! I have waited a thousand years for this day, and I will not have my victory stolen from me by the likes of thou!"

 _"Hey, she's talking in first-person!"_

 _"I believe we may have gotten on her nerves."_

 _"It looks like she's preparing something big. Girls, I think it's time we finished this."_

 _"I'm with Twi. Got a plan?"_

 _"Yeah. Focus all your magic on me. We'll hit her with everything we've got."_

 _"Alrighty then! Let's do this!"_

Twilight gasped as her friends poured their magic into her through the Elements, until she was so full of magic, it felt like she was about to pop. And it didn't stop there. The magic kept on coming.

 _ **"This ends now,"**_ The six voices said.

"Thou cannot best me!" Nightmare Moon shouted.

Twilight couldn't take it anymore. She cupped her hands in front of her, and gave the overflowing magic an exit point.

It left her hands as a beam of light tinted with the colors of the rainbow, all swirling together and mixing as it pleased them. The light of Harmony smashed against a wall of sheer, inky darkness that sprung up in front of Nightmare Moon.

"Do not take me for a weakling! I have seen hundreds of thy lifetimes pass, and I will live to see hundreds more!" Nightmare Moon screamed, pushing against the light of Harmony with all her might. Slowly, the rainbow light was pushed back by the darkness.

 _"I can't… hold this much longer! She's too strong!"_

 _"Twilight, don't even think about giving up now! The second you lose hope, she wins!"_

 _"We're here with you, Twilight. Don't forget that."_

 _"There's six of us and one of her. We have quite the numerical advantage, don't you think?"_

 _"Don't forget why we're doing this, Twilight! We can't let this grumpy ol' stooge win!"_

 _"If she pushes you, push 'er back twice as hard! We're with ya!"_

Twilight clenched her teeth, emboldened by the encouragement from her friends. With a roar, she pushed back against Nightmare Moon's attack, reinforcing the light of Harmony with her entire being.

"No…" Nightmare Moon said as she realized that her wall of darkness was losing ground. "No, no, no, no!"

The darkness broke like a pane of glass, and Nightmare Moon screamed as the rainbow light enveloped her, scouring her very soul.

The light of Harmony soon died out. The Bearers of the Elements felt their shared consciousness fade away, and their eyes returned to normal.

Nightmare Moon was still standing, frozen in a recoiling stance.

"You're shitting me," Rainbow Dash said. "You're actually shitting me. She's still alive?!"

"I… I don't think she's moving," Fluttershy pointed out.

"Did we turn her into a statue?" Rarity wondered.

"Hey, Twilight, why isn't Nightmare Moon a smear on the wall?" Pinkie asked.

No response.

"…Twilight?" Pinkie asked, poking the Arcane Mage's cheek. Twilight fell to the ground like a ragdoll at Pinkie's touch, her eyes open yet empty.

"By the Goddess, Twilight!" Applejack shouted, dropping to Twilight's side in a heartbeat. She pressed two fingers to her throat, and sighed in relief when she felt a pulse. "She's still alive. That attack might've taken a lot outta her."

"Wh-what should we do?" Fluttershy asked. "And what about Nightmare Moon?"

"It doesn't look like she's much of a threat," Rarity said. "Twilight? Twilight, dear, can you hear me?"

She couldn't.

Twilight's mind was in a different place.

It was like she had just blinked. At one moment, she had been about to finish off Nightmare Moon, and the next... nothing. Just darkness.

"What... happened?" Twilight asked. "Girls? Where are you? I can't see!"

There was no response. Twilight looked down at herself, and was shocked to be able to see her body. She wasn't blind, she was just in a dark place. A very, very dark place.

"Hello?" Twilight called out, circling around. "Applejack? Rarity? Rainbow? Fluttershy? Pinkie?"

Nothing. Not even an echo.

"Where the hell am I?!" She shouted. The darkness surrounding her gave no answers.

"Who art thou?" A voice asked, sounding like it came from everywhere around Twilight. The Arcane Mage almost jumped out of her skin. She turned around, trying to see if she was truly alone here. Nothing but darkness.

"Who said that?" Twilight asked.

"I did," The voice said. It sounded like a little girl. "Speak. What is thy name?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," She said. "Who are you? Where are you?"

"I am in the same place as thou, Twilight Sparkle," The voice said. "Thou art inside my very soul. Or rather, what was my soul, long ago."

"But that doesn't explain who you are!" Twilight said. "What is your name?"

"I hath no reason to tell thee," The voice said. "Go back to thy own body. Leave me here to rot for my failure."

"Your failure?" Twilight asked. "How did you fail?"

"Tis none of thy concern," The voice responded. "Leave."

"How am I supposed to leave when I don't know where I am?!" Twilight yelled back. "One second, I was fighting Nightmare Moon, and then…"

Twilight's mouth hung open. "Oh, I get it." She said. "This is… this is Nightmare Moon's soul, isn't it?"

"Correct," The voice said. "There is no reason for thee to stay. I ask again, leave me to my punishment."

"I won't leave until I get some answers!" Twilight replied. "Now show yourself! Who are you?!"

"Thou art persistent," The voice said, now coming from one source instead of a thousand. "I am here."

Twilight turned to see – actually see – a single point of light in the darkness. There was a tiny human shape inside it, curled up. Twilight approached it, eying the tiny girl – as she got closer, it became more and more obvious that it was a girl – warily.

"Hey," Twilight said softly, crouching in front of the little girl, who stared at her with turquoise eyes. "Are you – is that really what you look like, or just how you choose to look? I've never been in someone's soul before, so I don't know how this works."

"What thou see before thee tis what I am forced to appear as," The little girl said. "When Nightmare Moon overran me, I was forced to hide in my own soul, weak and powerless. Thus, I seem to be but a child."

"Nightmare Moon overran you? What does that mean?" Twilight asked. The little girl looked away from her, hiding behind her soft blue hair.

"'Twas my greatest failure," She said. "In a moment of weakness, of jealousy, the darkness overwhelmed me. Had I been stronger, had I not succumbed to envy, Nightmare Moon would not exist." She hugged her knees to her chest. "Tis my fault. Thou must leave me here. Tis what I have earned."

"…Do you actually believe that?" Twilight asked. "Just because you got a bit jealous, you're blaming yourself?"

"I am the only person deserving of blame," The girl said. "Nightmare Moon sought to plunge Mystica into the darkness because I was too weak to fight her!"

"You're not Nightmare Moon," Twilight said. "You can't be blamed for something she tried to do."

"Thou understand nothing," The girl said. "Leave."

"You want me to leave? Fine," Twilight said, standing up. "But you're coming with me."

The little girl looked up at her in surprise. "Beg pardon?" She asked.

"My friends and I just hit Nightmare Moon hard enough to get me stuck in her soul. If I had to guess, I'd say she's been thrown for a loop," Twilight said. "If you want your body back, there's no better time to do it."

Twilight held out a hand to the little girl, who stared at it in shock. "Thou believe I can be redeemed for my failure? After all I have done?"

"Won't know if you don't at least try," Twilight said. The little girl slowly took Twilight's hand, and stood up. "Great. Ready?"

"…Luna."

"Huh?"

"My name. Luna."

"I see," Twilight said. "Well, Luna, let's get out of here."

Twilight woke up to discover that there was a finger in her ear.

"Pinkie, get your finger out of my ear, now."

"It worked! It worked!" Pinkie squealed, pulling the offending digit out of Twilight's ear. "I told you!"

"You okay, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked as Twilight sat up. "You've been out cold for, like, ten minutes."

"I'm fine. Just had a… I'm not sure what to call it," Twilight said. "What happened to Nightmare Moon?"

"She's just been standing there," Fluttershy said, pointing at Nightmare Moon. "We're not sure why, but we didn't want to risk… waking her up."

There was a tiny sound like an eggshell cracking. The Bearers, sans Twilight, jumped back in surprise, their weapons raised. Twilight motioned for them to lower their weapons.

"Twilight, what on earth is happening?" Rarity asked. Twilight just smiled.

"Something good, I think," She said.

There was another cracking sound, and a break formed on Nightmare Moon's face. It spread rapidly, bleeding bright light from inside, until Nightmare Moon's body was covered in cracks.

Nightmare Moon fell apart, pieces of herself dropping to the ground like hailstones. A young woman, visibly no older than the Bearers, stood in the spot where Nightmare Moon had once been. She dropped to the ground seconds after the last piece of Nightmare Moon fell.

"I knew it would work," Twilight said, stepping towards the collapsed Luna. Applejack grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Easy, Twilight," She said. "I'm not sure what jus' happened, but that's still Nightmare Moon."

"She isn't, don't worry," Twilight said. "She's…"

"Have you lost your mind, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked angrily. She pointed at the fallen woman. "That's Nightmare Moon! She's the reason that Princess Celestia is…"

"That I'm what?" A maternal voice said from behind Rainbow Dash. The Elementalist's eyes bugged out. She slowly turned around, jaw slack, and saw her.

Princess Celestia, standing there with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Please, continue," The Princess said. "I'm just dying to know what you were going to say."

There was a moment of silence as the six mages stared in disbelief at the woman they had been told was dead.

Suddenly, Twilight squealed and tackled her, wrapping her arms around Celestia's midsection and squeezing her like a giant tube of toothpaste. Celestia grimaced in pain.

"You're alive you're alive you're alive you're alive SQUEE!" Twilight squealed, an enormous smile on her face.

"Easy on the ribs! Easy on the ribs!" Celestia grunted, prying her ecstatic apprentice off.

"I thought you were dead! That letter said you were dead! But how are you…" Twilight was silenced by Celestia.

"They don't call me the Queen of Phoenixes for nothing, Twilight. Nightmare Moon… Hold on," Celestia started to address the other Bearers. "Will you stop bowing?"

"Yes, Your Highness," The five mages said in unison, standing back up. Celestia rolled her eyes.

Twilight gasped. "That's right! Nightmare Moon! Princess, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don't think that Nightmare Moon was all bad! Her name is Luna, and she…"

"Twilight," Celestia interrupted, looking past Twilight at the sleeping woman on the floor. Her eyes were starting to mist. "I know. Please, excuse me for a moment."

She stepped past Twilight, walking purposefully towards Luna. The Arch Mage knelt at her side, and held out a hand to touch her. She did so gently, as if she was afraid Luna would break at her touch. As she tucked some hair behind Luna's ear, happy tears began to drip from Celestia's eyes.

"Hey, Twilight," Rainbow Dash whispered. "What's going on?"

"I… I have no idea," Twilight said honestly.

A low, sleepy moan escaped from Luna's lips as she started to stir. Her eyes cracked open, and she looked around in confusion. Her gaze quickly locked onto Celestia.

"T-Tia?" She asked. "Is it… truly thou?"

"I'm here, Luna," Celestia said, grasping Luna's hand. "It's me."

"Tia… Sister, thou look… so old," Luna said.

"Sister?!" Twilight repeated, unable to contain her astonishment.

"Yes," Celestia said. "My dearest little sister, Luna. The true Maiden of the Night."

"I… I do not deserve that title, sister," Luna said, sitting up. "I failed thee. I failed Mystica. I am naught but a disgrace. I could never hope to ask forgiveness of thee for my sins."

"Oh, shush, you little worrywart," Celestia said, pulling Luna into a warm hug. "If anyone here should ask forgiveness, it should be me."

"But thou did nothing to…"

"Exactly. I did nothing. If I hadn't had my ass so firmly planted up my rear a thousand years ago, I might have noticed that something was wrong with you. But… I wasn't perceptive enough, and had you torn from my life," Celestia said, her voice choked with tears. "And then… if I had been stronger, if I had more control over the Elements, then I wouldn't have had no choice but to banish you, and… I'm so sorry, Luna." She tightened her embrace with her sister. "Please, please… forgive me."

"I… I…" Luna finally broke down into tears, wrapping her arms around her sister. "I missed thee so much, Tia!"

The two sisters cried, their emotions a mixture of joy and regret, as they were truly reunited after a thousand years.

Fluttershy sniffled. "That is… so sweet," She said, dabbing at her cheeks with her cloak.

"So, hang on. Let me get this straight. The Elements of Harmony weren't supposed to _destroy_ Nightmare Moon, but _purify_ her?" Rarity guessed. Twilight's eyes widened.

"Of course!" She said. "The Sun shall rise, the Nightmare shall fall / when the last light in the dark answers Harmony's call! How could I have forgotten that?"

"Who knows?" Applejack said. "All I know is that we did good, gals. We did real good."

"Yeah! And you know what that calls for!" Pinkie said, jumping for joy.

"I'm going to just go out on a limb here…"


	14. Chapter 14

**Ch. 14: The Celebration**

Twilight looked around the town square in amazement. It was like the Summer Sun Celebration, but around ten times louder. She had no idea how Pinkie had thrown it together so quickly.

The townspeople had good reason to celebrate. The sun had risen again, and their Princess had returned to them from the grave. Not only that, but she had introduced to them her sister, the long-lost Princess Luna. There was some initial suspicion – she had been Nightmare Moon, after all – but that was quickly dispelled when Celestia vouched for her, and said, in no uncertain terms, that anybody who thought otherwise could bring it up with her.

By the time Princess Celestia had finished her explanation, Pinkie Pie, working alone, had managed to completely redecorate the town square. Many would call it the party of the century. To Pinkie, it was just Tuesday.

"Hey, Twilight!" Pinkie said, hopping up to Twilight with a lampshade on her head. "Just a heads up: Don't drink the punch! It's been spiked so many times, I think it's, like, ninety percent vodka!"

 _'Somebody say my name?'_ A familiar – pun unintended, but welcome – voice said in Twilight's mind. She looked down at her feet to see Spike, rubbing some sleep out of his eyes. _'What did I miss?'_

Pinkie Pie looked around in confusion. "Who said that?" She asked.

"Wait, did you hear that?" Twilight asked, her eyes wide. Spike scampered up her leg to perch on her shoulder.

 _'There's no way she could have heard me. I can only talk to you!'_ Spike said to Twilight. Pinkie gasped.

"Holy crap, your iguana can talk!" She shrieked.

 _'I'M NOT AN – oh, forget it.'_

"This is so awesome! Twilight, we should totally have pet playdates! I'm sure that your iguana and my pet alligator – his name's Gummy – would get along awesomely!" Pinkie squealed at the possibilities.

"Spike's a dragon. Why do you have a – no, never mind. Don't want to know. How can you be hearing him, though? He should only be able to communicate with me!" Twilight said.

"Who should only be able to communicate with who?" A tiny voice asked, so quiet Twilight almost didn't hear it. It was Fluttershy, a slight blush on her face and a cup of punch in her hands.

"I think Pinkie is – somehow – able to hear Spike," Twilight explained.

 _'It's probably because she's a little bit crazy.'_

Fluttershy's eyes shot open. "Did… did Spike just say that?" She asked.

"You too?"

"Ooh, maybe we can all hear him now because we were doing that mind-meld thing earlier!" Pinkie suggested.

"That seems to be the most likely explanation."

'What mind-meld? What did I miss? I just woke up, and suddenly the sun is up and everybody is partying like there's no tomorrow!'

Fluttershy snatched Spike off of Twilight's shoulder, a beaming smile on her face. "I'll tell you all about it! Oh, and after that, you can tell me all about yourself, I have so many questions to ask…"

 _'Twilight? Uh, help?'_

"You're on your own, buddy," Twilight laughed as Fluttershy and Spike melted into the crowds.

"Wow, Fluttershy needs to get drunk more often," Pinkie said. "Anyway! You liking the party?"

"It's… it's incredible, Pinkie," Twilight said. "I'm amazed you were able to put this together on such short notice."

"It wasn't really short notice," Pinkie said. "I already had a basic plan, so I only had to make a few changes!"

"You had a few hours? How?" Twilight asked, confused.

"This isn't just Luna's party!" Pinkie said, pointing at the Princess, who had joined a circle of dancers. "It's your party, too!"

"This is… for me?" Twilight asked repeated in awe.

"Uh-huh! It's a double-feature party! One part is a 'Welcome-Back-From-Being-Evil Party', and the other part is a 'Welcome-To-Magiville-Twilight' party!" Pinkie said. "Isn't it awesome?"

Twilight just smiled, and gave her friend a surprise hug. "Thanks, Pinkie," She said. "This is probably the nicest thing anybody's ever done for me."

"No problemo!" Pinkie said, squeezing Twilight back so hard she heard a rib crack. "I gotta get back to making sure everybody's having a good time! Catch you later!" She hopped off, disappearing into the crowds. Twilight smiled wistfully. She'd realized she was going to miss this place, crazy people and all.

If only she didn't have to leave.

"...But what if..." Twilight said to herself, scratching her chin. She smiled as a new idea formed in her mind, and ran off in search of her mentor.

Twilight found Princess Celestia relaxing under a tree, a mug of frothy cider in her hands. She smiled at Twilight as she approached.

"Hello, Twilight," Celestia said. She gestured at the mug in her hands. "Tell Applejack that this is the best cider I've had in decades. Divine."

"I'll be sure to, Princess. I mean, Celestia," Twilight said, sitting down next to her. "You, uh, you have some foam on your lip, by the way."

"Oh, thank you," Celestia said, licking it off. She sighed with satisfaction. "No, really, this is amazing. Ask her who I have to talk with to buy enough barrels of this to sink a small boat."

"I'll pass along the message," Twilight Sparkle said, chuckling. "Where's Luna?"

Celestia pointed out into the crowds, and Twilight soon spotted Princess Luna in the center of a ring of dancers, circling and stamping her feet in a traditional dance. She had a look of pure joy on her face. "I'm so glad that she's been accepted so easily," Celestia said. "I was worried that the people would be afraid of her, knowing who she once was."

"This town is pretty accepting of newcomers," Twilight said. "I know that first-hand."

Celestia looked at her apprentice, noticing the almost wistful look on Twilight's face. "Is there something wrong, Twilight?" She asked. "You seem troubled."

"I'm fine. I just wanted to ask you about… about…" Twilight gulped. "Hold on, I just remembered. I think this is yours." She held out the Element of Magic. "I had to use your tiara to make it. I don't know why, it just felt like the right thing to do."

Celestia looked at the big crown-thingy being offered to her for a few seconds. She started to chuckle, and closed Twilight's fingers around it. "Thank you, Twilight, but the Elements of Harmony don't belong to me anymore. You and your friends are their Bearers. Keep it; it may come in handy," She said. Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "I have about eight of those tiaras back in Camelot, anyway."

Twilight recognized her chance. "Speaking of Camelot..." She said. "I wanted to talk to you about... going back."

"The Alicorn's lifeboats will be here to pick us up tomorrow morning, if that's what you're asking," Celestia said, a very small tinge of disappointment in her voice.

"Actually, I… I don't really want to leave," Twilight said. Celestia looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh? Might I ask why?" She requested.

"It's… it's for my next topic of research," Twilight said. "Six mages, working together, were able to not only defeat an evil demigoddess intent on eternal night, but return her to normal using the magic of… well, of friendship. For this reason, I, Twilight Sparkle, have decided that this form of magic requires further investigation and studies."

"Does it now?" Celestia asked, her eyes twinkling with pride.

"Yes, I believe it does. Thus, in order to continue my studies into the magic of friendship, I would like to stay here, in Magiville, until such a time as my research is complete," Twilight said.

Celestia hummed in thought, as if she was considering the pros and cons of Twilight's research. Finally, she smiled. "…Very well. I, Princess Celestia, Arch Mage and Dean of the College of Magi, approve Twilight Sparkle's request for continued research in Magiville," She decided. Twilight's face lit up. "I'll be expecting you to send me regular reports on your findings via dragonfire, of course."

"Once a week. I promise."

"I'm so proud of you, Twilight," Celestia said. "You've grown so much." She brought her mug to her lips, and grumbled when she found that it was empty. "Damn. I'll be back in a moment."

"Of course, Princess," Twilight said as Celestia stood up to go search for more apple cider. Twilight leaned back against the tree, and looked out over the crowds of partygoers.

She saw Fluttershy off to the side, talking a mile a minute to Spike, who was staring longingly at Rarity, on the other side of the square. She saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash in the middle of an arm wrestling contest. She saw Pinkie Pie, who had broken up the traditional folk dance, mentoring Princess Luna in the sacred art of breakdancing.

But above all that, she saw her friends.

And she never thought she'd be so happy to say that.

 _The End._


End file.
